Before "
liberal" was turned into a
swear word, there were liberal
Republicans, "pro-business", but also with a liberal-to-moderate view on (some) social issues.
Richard Nixon wasn't considered one, but some of his domestic-policy aims in his first term as
president were fairly liberal.
Nelson Rockefeller, longtime
governor of
New York was considered liberal, but in one of his later terms, he also wanted somewhat-draconian drug laws (as did Nixon). The New York GOP were the
pro-choice party - the
Democrats, who often represented heavily-
Catholic districts, were
pro-life.
Other "liberal Republicans", who were almost exclusively, IIRC, from the "Eastern Establishment" states: Edward Brooke, a senator from Massachussetts, Richard Schweiker, a senator from Pennsylvania and almost Ronald Reagan's 1976 running mate (had RR won the nomination), and John Lindsay, mayor of New York City, who, like some other liberals in the party, changed affiliation to the Democrats; in Lindsay's case, part of the reason was that he wanted to run for president in 1972 - Nixon, the incumbent, would be unbeatable in the GOP nomination fight.