Spiro Agnew served as the 39th vice president of the United States, functioning as Richard Nixon's sharp-tongued public enforcer before a corruption scandal forced his abrupt resignation in 1973. While Nixon managed the macro-strategy of the White House, Agnew toured the country to berate anti-war demonstrators, attack the press, and rally conservative voters. His political ascent from Baltimore County executive to the national stage made him a central figure in the shifting dynamics of the Republican Party, long before federal investigators uncovered a systemic kickback scheme rooted in his days as governor of Maryland.
Understanding Agnew requires looking past the caricatures of his later disgrace. He was chosen in 1968 not as an ideological mastermind, but as a compromise candidate who could bridge the gap between northern moderates and southern conservatives. Once in office, he weaponized political rhetoric to solidify the Nixon administration's base, setting a template for modern partisan combat. Yet, the very financial practices that sustained his local political machine in Maryland ultimately destroyed his national career, culminating in a historic plea bargain that left him as only the second vice president to resign from office.
The Rise of an Unlikely Running Mate
Agnew entered national politics with a thin resume. Born in Baltimore in 1918 to a Greek immigrant father and an American mother, he served in World War II, earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore, and practiced law before entering local politics. He won election as Baltimore County Executive in 1962 and subsequently captured the Maryland governorship in 1966.
As governor, Agnew initially positioned himself as a racial moderate. He supported progressive tax reforms, clean water regulations, and public housing measures. However, the urban riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 marked a sharp pivot. Agnew publicly rebuked moderate Black leaders for failing to control militant protesters, alienating civil rights advocates and winning favor with conservative white voters.
When Richard Nixon secured the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, he sought a running mate who could appeal to border states and satisfy party traditionalists. Though Agnew had initially backed Nelson Rockefeller, Nixon saw potential in his tough-talking law-and-order stance. The selection initially baffled voters and journalists, giving rise to the famous refrain, "Spiro who?"
The White House Enforcer
Once in office, Agnew carved out a distinct role as the administration's primary rhetorical attacker. Nixon preferred to maintain a statesmanlike veneer, leaving the dirty work of partisan combat to his vice president. Agnew eagerly accepted this assignment, traveling across the United States to deliver blistering speeches drafted by white-house aides like Pat Buchanan and William Safire.
- Targeting the Media: Agnew famously branded journalists as an "effete corps of impudent snobs," accusing major television networks and newspapers of left-wing bias.
- Denouncing Dissent: He characterized anti-Vietnam War protesters as unpatriotic agitators, successfully energizing the "silent majority" that Nixon relied upon.
- Defending Administration Policy: He acted as a tireless surrogate, bridging regional divides and rallying rural and suburban voters to the Republican banner.
This strategy transformed Agnew into a polarizing national celebrity. To his supporters, he was a refreshing voice cutting through elite consensus. To his critics, he was a dangerous demagogue poisoning civic discourse. Behind the scenes, however, the financial habits he formed in Maryland were catching up with him.
The Maryland Kickback Scheme
Long before he reached the White House, Agnew operated within a Maryland political culture where cash kickbacks for public contracts were treated as standard operating procedure. Engineering firms and developers routinely handed over envelopes of cash to secure state and county projects.
When U.S. Attorney George Beall began investigating local corruption in Baltimore in 1973, several engineering contractors agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors in exchange for immunity. Their testimonies pointed directly to Agnew. Investigators uncovered evidence that Agnew had accepted cash payments—sometimes delivered in brown paper bags or handed over inside government offices, including the White House itself—in exchange for awarding state contracts.
As the investigation intensified over the summer of 1973, Agnew launched a public relations and legal counter-offensive. He claimed that leaks from the Justice Department violated his constitutional rights and insisted that a sitting vice president could not be indicted criminally while in office.
Resignation and Plea Bargain
By October 1973, the convergence of the federal corruption probe and the unfolding Watergate scandal created an untenable crisis for the Nixon administration. To prevent a total institutional collapse, the Department of Justice and Agnew's defense team entered into intense plea negotiations.
Agnew agreed to resign from the vice presidency on October 10, 1973, in exchange for avoiding a prison sentence. He pleaded nolo contendere (no contest) to a single federal charge of tax evasion for failing to report kickback income on his 1967 tax return. Federal judge Walter E. Hoffman sentenced him to three years of unsupervised probation and a $10,000 fine. In a final legal blow, the Maryland Court of Appeals disbarred him in 1974.
His departure left the White House uniquely vulnerable. Utilizing the mechanisms of the newly ratified Twenty-Fifth Amendment, Nixon nominated House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to replace Agnew as vice president. Less than a year later, Nixon himself resigned amid the wreckage of Watergate, leaving Ford to assume the presidency.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Spiro Agnew ever sent to prison?
No. Under the terms of his 1973 plea agreement, Agnew pleaded no contest to a single charge of federal income tax evasion. He received three years of unsupervised probation and a $10,000 fine, avoiding prison time entirely.
How did Spiro Agnew secure the vice presidential nomination in 1968?
Richard Nixon selected Agnew as his running mate to balance the Republican ticket. Agnew's background as a border-state governor and his pivot toward a firm law-and-order stance appealed to Nixon's calculations regarding southern and suburban voters.
What precedent did Agnew's resignation set?
Agnew became only the second vice president in American history to resign, following John C. Calhoun in 1832. However, Agnew was the first vice president to leave office under criminal indictment and disgrace.
What happened to Agnew after he left politics?
Following his resignation and disbarment, Agnew largely retreated from public life. He worked as an international trade consultant and spent his later years in Maryland and California, maintaining his innocence until his death in 1996.
