Nixon was born in [[Yorba Linda, California]], on January 9, 1913, the second son of Francis A. Nixon and the former Hannah Milhous. In 1922, his family moved to Whittier, California, where his father worked in the oil fields before opening a filling station on the road between Whittier and La Habra. Nixon's childhood years were not unusual for someone growing up in two small towns near Los Angeles. His parents were both devout [[Quakers]] who attended church several times a week. Nixon had four siblings and saw two of his brothers, Harold (1909-1933) and Arthur (1918-1925), die from [[tuberculosis]]. Nixon grew up relatively poor, as his father earned a modest income from his gas station and grocery store and was forced to expend a great deal of money on his children's illnesses. Due to these hard times, he established a quality of determination and strong work ethic. A good student and a hard worker, Nixon excelled scholastically.
Nixon attended Fullerton High School and Whittier High School. He graduated second in his class from Whittier with honor in the study of [[Shakespeare]] and [[Latin]]. He was awarded scholarships to [[Harvard]] and [[Yale]] University, but declined due to his family's financial condition. He instead enrolled at [[Whittier College]], a local [[Quaker]] school, where he co-founded the "Orthogonian Society", a new organization to the campus geared towards working-class students. At Whittier, Nixon, a formidable debater, was elected freshman class president, and served as student body vice president in his junior year and president in his senior year. While at Whittier, he taught Sunday school at [[East Whittier Friends Church]] and remained a member all his life.
A lifelong football fan, Nixon practiced with the team, but played little. In 1934, he graduated second in his class from Whittier, and went on to [[Duke University|Duke University School of Law]], where he received a full scholarship, was elected president of the Duke Bar Association, and graduated third in his class. After briefly exploring the possibilities of work in a [[New York City|New York]] law firm and at the [[FBI]], Nixon returned to Whittier, where he found employment in an established local practice, Wingert and Bewley. The young lawyer did well at this work, and became a junior partner in 1938. In 1942 Nixon became a lawyer for the [[Office of Price Administration]], the wartime liberal [[New Deal]] program that regulated all prices and rationed basic commodities.