Spiro Theodore Agnew (November 9, 1918 – September 17, 1996) was the 39th vice president of the United States. He served under President Richard Nixon. He was also the 55th governor of the state of Maryland and the first Greek American governor and vice president in United States history.
He is most famous for his resignation in the fall of 1973 after he was under investigation for the crimes of extortion, tax fraud, bribery, and conspiracy. In October he was charged for taking bribes of more than $100,000 during his vice presidential term.
Agnew is the only U.S. vice president in history to leave office because of criminal charges. Ten years later, in January 1983, he paid the state of Maryland almost $270,000 as a result of a civil suit that came from the bribery allegations. He was only the second vice president to resign the office (John C. Calhoun had been the first).
He wrote two memoirs later in his life. He defended his corrupt actions in both memoirs.