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Revision as of 23:36, 14 May 2002 by 12.230.139.45 (talk)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Spiro Agnew (November 9, 1918 - September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1973. In 1973, he became the second person to resign the vice presidency. Unlike John C. Calhoun, who resigned to take a seat in the Senate, Agnew resigned on October 10, 1973, while under investigation for accepting bribes in his previous position as governor of Maryland: the payments were kickbacks in return for government contracts. Before resigning, Agnew had insisted he was innocent, but then pleaded "no contest" to a single charge of failing to report income in 1967.
Mr. Agnew was known for his speeches in which he would attack his opponents with near-lyric turns of phrase. One of his most famous is the phrase nattering nabobs of negativism. It is believed that this speech was written for Mr. Agnew by William Safire. And "an effite corps of impudent snobs". Both probably refer to the press corps.
Agnew was replaced as vice president by Gerald R. Ford.