This stamp continues the long-standing U.S. Postal Service practice of featuring former presidents on a postage stamp issued on their birthday the year following their death. In the case of the Nixon stamp, the release date was postponed because of the postage rate change that went into effect earlier in the year.
Among the significant events of Nixon's presidency was the implementation of the Postal Reorganization Act in 1970, which eliminated the Post Office Department and launched the modernized U.S. Postal Service. In 1952, presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Nixon as his running mate, and Nixon served as vice president for eight years. He was elected president in 1968 and won reelection in 1972.
While in office, he opened the door to the People's Republic of China, established the policy of detente with the Soviet Union, ended American involvement in Vietnam, and pursued domestic initiatives that included establishing the Environmental Protection Agency, launching the "war on cancer," and bringing about the peaceful desegregation of public schools in the South. He resigned from office in August 1974 to avoid impeachment and to spare the nation from the ongoing turmoil of the Watergate scandal.