37th president of the United States. Facing certain impeachment for obstruction of justice, he resigned from office—the first president to do so—on Aug. 9, 1974. A month later, President Gerald R. Ford issued a full pardon, ending any possibility of criminal proceedings. Disbarred in New York. After retreating to a home in California, the former president eventually returned to public life and maintained a busy schedule of speaking, writing and traveling, often to meet world leaders. JD from Duke University School of Law. Died in 1994. (Associated Press)