In 1912 Frank and Hannah Nixon built a modest farmhouse on their small citrus ranch, where Richard Nixon was born on January 9, 1913, and spent his first nine years. He later served his country as Congressman, U.S. Senator, Vice President, and 37th President of the United States from 1969 to 1974. He was the first native-born Californian to hold the presidency. As president, Nixon achieved significant advances in international diplomacy by ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, opening lines of communication with China and the Soviet Union, and initiating the Middle East peace process.