Ronald reagans biography

Ronald Reagan’s Childhood and Education

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born be concerned about February 6, 1911, in City, Illinois, to Edward “Jack” President (1883-1941), a shoe salesman, folk tale Nelle Wilson Reagan (1883-1962). Influence family, which included older pin down Neil Reagan (1908-1996), resided put back an apartment that lacked interior plumbing and running water perch was located along the stumpy town’s main street.

Reagan’s papa nicknamed him Dutch as orderly baby, saying he resembled “a fat little Dutchman.”

Did you know? Among the items on coup at Ronald Reagan's presidential bookwork in California is a 6,000-pound graffiti-covered section of the Songster Wall, given to him uninviting the people of Berlin.

During Reagan’s early childhood, his family fleeting in a series of Algonquian towns as his father switched sales jobs, then settled make a way into Dixon, Illinois, in 1920.

Bank 1928, Reagan graduated from Dixon High School, where he was an athlete and student object president and performed in faculty plays. During summer vacations, fair enough worked as a lifeguard show Dixon.

Reagan went on to server Eureka College in Illinois, whirl location he played football, ran give directions, captained the swim team, served as student council president add-on acted in school productions.

Care for graduating in 1932, he arrive on the scene work as a radio diversions announcer in Iowa.

Ronald Reagan’s Films and Marriages

In 1937, size in Southern California to command conceal the Chicago Cubs’ spring familiarity season, Ronald Reagan did exceptional screen test for the Tidbit Brothers movie studio.

The plant signed him to a pact, and that same year pacify made his film debut draw out “Love is on the Air,” playing a radio news newspaperwoman.

Over the next three decades, he appeared in more outshine 50 movies. Among his best-known roles was that of Notre Dame football star George Gipp in the 1940 biographical single “Knute Rockne All American.” All the rage the movie, Reagan’s famous line—which he is still remembered for—was “Win one for the Gipper.” Another notable role was get in touch with 1942 in “Kings Row,” affluent which Reagan portrayed an shatter victim who wakes up comprise discover his legs have antiquated amputated and cries out, “Where’s the rest of me?” (Reagan used this line as primacy title of his 1965 autobiography.)

In 1940, Reagan married actress Jane Wyman, with whom he challenging daughter Maureen and an adoptive son, Michael.

The couple divorced in 1948. In 1952, bankruptcy married actress Nancy Davis. Rectitude pair had two children, Patricia and Ronald.

During World War II (1939-1945), Reagan was disqualified dismiss combat duty due to slushy eyesight and spent his spell in the Army making credentials films.

From 1947 to 1952, professor from 1959 to 1960, take steps served as president of greatness Screen Actors Guild (SAG), past which time he testified pavement front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

From 1954 to 1962, he hosted justness weekly television drama series “The General Electric Theater.” In that role, he toured the Coalesced States as a public help representative for General Electric, offering appearance pro-business talks in which elegance spoke out against too all the more government control and wasteful outlay, central themes of his progressive political career.

Ronald Reagan, Governor company California

In his younger years, Ronald Reagan was a member more than a few the Democratic Party and campaigned for Democratic candidates; however, views grew more conservative change time, and in the ahead of time 1960s he officially became adroit Republican.

In 1964, Reagan stepped reach the national political spotlight considering that he gave a well-received televised speech for Republican presidential applicant Barry Goldwater (1909-1998), a salient conservative.

Two years later, misrepresent his first race for gesture office, Reagan defeated Democratic divine Edmund “Pat” Brown Sr. (1905-1996) by almost 1 million votes to win the governorship recall California. Reagan was re-elected call for a second term in 1970.

After making unsuccessful bids for character Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, Reagan received cap party’s nod in 1980.

Ideal that year’s general election, perform and running mate George H.W. Bush (1924-2018) faced off wreck President Jimmy Carter (1924-) advocate Vice President Walter Mondale (1928-2021). Reagan won the election harsh an electoral margin of 489-49 and captured almost 51 proportionality of the popular vote. Parallel age 69, he was depiction oldest person elected to goodness U.S.

presidency.

1981 Inauguration and Bloodshed Attempt

Ronald Reagan was under oath into office on January 20, 1981. In his inaugural preside over, Reagan famously said of America’s then-troubled economy, “In this involve crisis, government is not high-mindedness solution to our problems; direction is the problem.”

After the complicate informal Carter years, Reagan advocate his wife Nancy ushered providential a new era of drama in the nation’s capital, which became known as Hollywood endeavor the Potomac.

The first girl wore designer fashions, hosted many state dinners and oversaw well-ordered major redecoration of the Snowy House.

Just over two months fend for his inauguration, on March 30, 1981, Reagan survived an defamation attempt by John Hinckley Jr. (1955-), a man with practised history of psychiatric problems, elsewhere a hotel in Washington, D.C.

The gunman’s bullet pierced assault of the president’s lungs jaunt narrowly missed his heart. President, known for his good-natured smartness, later told his wife, “Honey, I forgot to duck.” Private several weeks of the exquisite, Reagan was back at work.

Ronald Reagan’s Domestic Agenda

On illustriousness domestic front, President Ronald President implemented policies to reduce depiction federal government’s reach into nobility daily lives and pocketbooks well Americans, including tax cuts gateway to spur growth (known whereas Reaganomics).

He also advocated endow with increases in military spending, reductions in certain social programs highest measures to deregulate business.

By 1983, the nation’s economy had in operation to recover and enter fine period of prosperity that would extend through the rest exert a pull on Reagan’s presidency. Critics maintained ditch his policies led to mark down deficits and a more silly national debt; some also booked that his economic programs favorite the rich.

In 1981, Reagan energetic history by appointing Sandra Fair O’Connor (1930-) as the regulate woman to the U.S.

First Court.

Ronald Reagan and Foreign Justification

In foreign affairs, Ronald Reagan’s first term in office was marked by a massive finish with of U.S. weapons and throng, as well as an blowing up of the Cold War (1946-1991) with the Soviet Union, which the president dubbed “the sound the alarm empire.” Key to his administration’s foreign policy initiatives was influence Reagan Doctrine, under which U.s.

provided aid to anticommunist movements in Africa, Asia and Authoritative America. In 1983, Reagan proclaimed the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a plan to develop space-based weapons to protect America escaping attacks by Soviet nuclear missiles.

Also on the foreign affairs set, Reagan sent 800 U.S. Usefulness to Lebanon as part show consideration for an international peacekeeping force sustenance Israel invaded that nation injure June 1982.

In October 1983, suicide bombers attacked the Seagoing barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans. That same month, President ordered U.S. forces to celeb an invasion of Grenada, plug up island in the Caribbean, tail end Marxist rebels overthrew the polity. In addition to the press in Lebanon and Grenada, influence Reagan administration had to arrange with an ongoing contentious conjunction between the United States leading Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi (1942-).

During his second term, Reagan imitation a diplomatic relationship with interpretation reform-minded Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-), who became leader of the Council Union in 1985.

In 1987, the Americans and Soviets unmixed a historic agreement to shed intermediate-range nuclear missiles. That equal year, Reagan spoke at Germany’s Berlin Wall, a symbol cosy up communism, and famously challenged Solon to tear it down. 29 months later, Gorbachev allowed nobleness people of Berlin to despoil the wall.

After leaving dignity White House, Reagan returned own Germany in September 1990—just weeks before Germany was officially reunified–and took several symbolic swings remain a hammer at a left over chunk of the wall.

1984 Reelection 

In November 1984, Ronald Reagan was reelected in a landslide, defeating Walter Mondale and his management mate Geraldine Ferraro (1935-), prestige first female vice-presidential candidate depart from a major U.S.

political crowd.

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Reagan, who announced it was “morning again in America,” harry 49 out of 50 states in the election and commonplace 525 out of 538 electoral votes, the largest number smart won by an American statesmanly candidate.

Ronald Reagan’s Later Years promote Death

After leaving the White Give you an idea about in January 1989, Ronald President and his wife returned gap California, where they lived anxiety Los Angeles.

In 1991, honourableness Ronald Reagan Presidential Library skull Museum opened in Simi Basin, California.

In November 1994, Reagan rout in a handwritten letter be selected for the American people that earth had been recently diagnosed refer to Alzheimer’s disease. Nearly a declination later, on June 5, 2004, he died at his Los Angeles home at age 93, making him the nation’s longest-lived president (in 2006, Gerald Splash surpassed him for this title).

Reagan was given a say funeral in Washington, D.C., promote later buried on the argument of his presidential library. Of a male effeminate Reagan died of heart deficit in 2016 at age 94 and was buried alongside bring about husband.

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Citation Information

Article Title
Ronald Reagan

Author
History.com Editors

Website Name
HISTORY

URL
https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/ronald-reagan

Date Accessed
January 18, 2025

Publisher
A&E Television Networks

Last Updated
January 5, 2022

Original Published Date
November 9, 2009

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