Fifty years ago, a political scandal reaching the highest levels of power in the United States government tested the foundations of American liberal democracy and its executive office. Named for a high-profile office building in Washington, DC, the Watergate affair consisted of a bungled break-in at the Democratic Party’s National Committee headquarters, secretly sponsored by officials in President Richard Nixon’s re-election campaign committee, followed by a cover-up that would end in disaster for the sitting president. As the public and the media looked on in shock and sometimes outrage, the Watergate scandal brought felony accusations, Senate hearings, sensational trials, and, eventually, the first-ever resignation of an American president.

Drawing on documents, illustrations, books, and photographs from the Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Un-Presidented: Watergate and Power in America, explores how the organs of a functioning democracy—including judicial processes, a free press, and legislative oversight—bring accountability and fight corruption even amongst the most powerful citizens of the nation. 

The exhibition is organized and curated by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

VIEW THE ONLINE EXHIBITION


PRESS RELEASE

The Un-Presidented Speaker Series

May 9, 2024 | Speaker: John Roy Price
Former special assistant to President Nixon and author of The Last Liberal Republican, An Insider's Perspective on Nixon's Surprising Social Policy

June 17, 2024 | Speaker: Luke Nichter
American historian, professor of history and James H. Cavanaugh Endowed Chair in Presidential Studies at Chapman University, and author of eight books, including most recently The Year That Broke Politics

August 8, 2024 | Speaker: Heath Hardage Lee
American historian and author of the forthcoming book The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady (July 2024)

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Explaining Israel The Jewish State, the Middle East, and America
Explaining Israel: The Jewish State, The Middle East, And America
Join Hoover Senior Fellow Peter Berkowitz for the launch of his new book Explaining Israel: The Jewish State, the Middle East, and America at the… Hoover Institution in DC
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
The Digital Fourth Amendment
The Center for Revitalizing American Institutions (RAI) hosts The Digital Fourth Amendment with Orin Kerr and Eugene Volokh on October 1, 2025, from…
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Thinking Historically: A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy
Book Talk With Francis J. Gavin: "Thinking Historically: A Guide To Statecraft & Strategy"
The Hoover History Lab invites you to Thinking Historically: A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy, a book talk with the author, Francis J. Gavin on … Shultz Auditorium, George P. Shultz Building
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