Spiro Agnew

Spiro Theodore "Ted" Agnew (; November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th Vice President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1973. He was the second and most recent vice president to resign the office, though unlike John C. Calhoun in 1832, Agnew left office in disgrace. Agnew was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to an American-born mother and a Greek immigrant father. He attended Johns Hopkins University and graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law, and entered the United States Army in 1941. Agnew served as an officer during World War II, earning the Bronze Star, and was in 1951 recalled for service during the Korean War. He worked as an aide to U.S. Representative James Devereux before he was appointed to the Baltimore County Board of Zoning Appeals in 1957. In 1960, he lost an election for the Baltimore County Circuit Court, but in 1962 was elected Baltimore County Executive. In 1966, Agnew was elected the 55th Governor of Maryland, defeating his Democratic opponent George P. Mahoney and independent candidate Hyman A. Pressman. At the 1968 Republican National Convention, Agnew, who had earlier been asked to place Richard Nixon's name in nomination, was selected as running mate by Nixon and his campaign staff. Agnew's centrist reputation interested Nixon, and the law and order stance he had taken in the wake of civil unrest that year appealed to aides such as Pat Buchana