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For those who supported President Trump in his reelection bid, they may wish to remember the example of a former Republican President, Richard Nixon.

In 1960 as the Republican nominee and the sitting vice president, he appeared to have narrowly lost a presidential election to John F. Kennedy. The margin was less than 1% in the popular vote and the two were separated by 120,000 votes. Unlike now, there was significant evidence in Illinois and Texas that Mr. Nixon had carried those two states, but counted out, with a very small margin for Mr. Kennedy and with that result he was the loser of the 1960 election.

Richard Nixon chose not to contest the election legally as he feared it would make the country bitterly divided in a time of peril. He graciously congratulated President-elect Kennedy at 2:30 a.m. after Election Day and met with him, personally, in Florida within 10 days to congratulate him again.

The year 1960 is also the only election where there was a recount which changed the electoral vote in a single state: Hawaii. Richard Nixon was certified as the winner of Hawaiis three electoral votes by a margin of about 141 votes. After the certificate was issued, the Democrats obtained a recount of the Hawaii votes and in the recount Senator Kennedy prevailed by under 200 votes. A new certificate of election for Hawaiis votes was issued to President-elect Kennedy.

When the electoral votes arrived in Washington, D.C., Hawaii had one certificate for Nixon and another for Kennedy. As the outgoing vice president, Richard Nixon was responsible for the joint session of Congress opening and counting the electoral votes. When Hawaiis certificates were presented, Vice President Nixon ruled that his opponent John F. Kennedy, not he, had carried Hawaii. His decision was accepted by the Congress.

Other than this single example, where the two men were separated by less than 200 votes, were the electoral votes changed. In 1964 as Mr. Nixons personal research assistant in New York, I have direct knowledge of these events.

It may be also remembered from White House recordings while president, Mr. Nixon learned the identity of the so-called Deep Throat informant for Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. The president was told by H.R. Haldeman that Deep Throat was Mark Felt, associate director of the FBI. Mr. Nixon ordered no retaliation directly or indirectly against Mr. Felt.

Years later when Mr. Felt was indicted by a grand jury and stood trial on alleged Fourth Amendment criminal violation against the Socialist Workers Party, Richard Nixon appeared as a defense witness for W. Mark Felt. When he had finished testifying, he shook Mr. Felts hand as he left the courtroom. After Mr. Felts conviction, he was pardoned by President Ronald Reagan, Mr. Nixon sent him a bottle of his favorite, and expensive, champagne.

Richard Nixon had many flaws, all of us do. But he opened the door to China, ended the war in Vietnam for Americans, achieved detente with the Soviet Union and saved Israel during the Yom Kippur War, and he knew when it was time to go.

Jones, an Enid-based attorney, served as the lead defense attorney for Timothy McVeigh. Jones previously worked as Richard Nixons personal research assistant and assisted him with speeches and drafting articles and public statements prior to the Republican National Convention in 1964.

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GUEST COLUMN: Nixon knew when it was time to go - Enid News & Eagle