Nixon campaign advisor dies at 87

Newport woman was advocate of women in politics and led Nixon’s first winning White House bid.Patricia “Pat” Hitt, who served as the national co-chair of Richard Nixon’s 1968 presidential campaign and advocated women’s involvement in politics, has died. She was 87.

Hitt, a Balboa Island resident, died in her home Monday of natural causes.

When she served as the assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare in the late 1960s, she was the highest ranking woman in Nixon’s first administration. She was also the only woman to be a presidential campaign co-chair.

“She didn’t wait for women’s entitlement -- she went out and created her own space,” said Newport Beach resident Rick Hamilton, one of Hitt’s sons. “When she got involved, she did it with her own inertia way before it was politically correct.”

Born in Taft and raised in Whittier, Hitt graduated from USC. She and her second husband, Robert Hitt, settled on Balboa Island.

Hitt’s sons said their mother was always civic minded. When she couldn’t convince the Irvine Co. to turn an empty piece of property near the Balboa Island bridge into a park, she moved the family to Villa Park. Once there, Hitt was integral in the city’s incorporation.

Her parents were members of the original committee that urged Nixon to run for Congress, and Hitt campaigned door-to-door during the 1946 race.

Hitt joined Nixon’s campaign for senator and played a part in every one of his future political campaigns. She also served as an advisor to Pete Wilson in his senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns.

In 1960, Hitt was elected Republican national committeewoman from California. She gave the opening speech at the 1964 Republican National Convention. Hitt made regular trips on Air Force One, spoke across the country and managed to keep a life at home.

“If she had a vision or if there was a job to do, she kept plowing through,” Rick Hamilton said. “She had tremendous energy and a commitment to things she worked on.”

Son John Hamilton said Hitt was a “high-character” individual. On diplomatic trips oversees, she insisted on declaring and paying for all purchased items, which wasn’t a necessity, John Hamilton said.

When Nixon asked Hitt to become the assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, she was reluctant to leave her family, said John Hamilton.

But she did the president a favor. It was the only paid position of her career.

Hitt left the post in 1973 and returned to Newport Beach. A loyal Nixon supporter, Hitt was at an Orange County air station when the former president arrived days after resigning.

“She was a believer to her last day that history would treat Nixon very well,” John Hamilton said.

Hitt became a trustee of the Richard Nixon Foundation and was on the original board of directors that determined the library’s location.

John Hamilton said his mother was always generous with her time. She served on the board of trustees at Chapman University and Whittier College.

Hitt founded Human Options, an Orange County-based organization that provides support and shelter to battered women, and was on the national board of the Assistance League.

Hitt died on what would have been Nixon’s 93rd birthday.

She is survived by her sons, Rick and John Hamilton; her sister, Kathy Miller; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. Jan. 26 at the Richard Nixon Library and Birthplace, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda.