Ronald Wilson Reagan

On February 6, 1911, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. He attended high school in nearby Dixon and then worked his way through Eureka College. There, he studied economics and sociology, played on the football team, and acted in school plays. Upon graduation, he became a radio sports announcer. A screen test in 1937 won him a contract in Hollywood. During the next two decades he appeared in 53 films.

From his first marriage to actress Jane Wyman, he had two children, Maureen and Michael.

In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, who was also an actress, and they had two children, Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott.

As president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan became embroiled in disputes over the issue of Communism in the film industry; his political views shifted from liberal to conservative. He toured the country as a television host, becoming a spokesman for conservatism. In 1966 he was elected Governor of California by a margin of a million votes; he was re-elected in 1970.

Ronald Reagan won the Republican Presidential nomination in 1980 and chose as his running mate former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush. Voters troubled by inflation and by the year-long confinement of Americans in Iran swept the Republican ticket into office. Reagan won 489 electoral votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter.

On January 20, 1981, Reagan took office. Only 69 days later he was shot by a would-be assassin, but quickly recovered and returned to duty. His grace and wit during the dangerous incident caused his popularity to soar.

Dealing skillfully with Congress, Reagan obtained legislation to stimulate economic growth, curb inflation, increase employment, and strengthen national defense. He embarked upon a course of cutting taxes and Government expenditures, refusing to deviate from it when the strengthening of defense forces led to a large deficit.

A renewal of national self-confidence by 1984 helped Reagan and Bush win a second term with an unprecedented number of electoral votes. Their victory turned away Democratic challengers Walter F. Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro.

In 1986 Reagan obtained an overhaul of the income tax code, which eliminated many deductions and exempted millions of people with low incomes. At the end of his administration, the Nation was enjoying its longest recorded period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.

In foreign policy, Reagan sought to achieve “peace through strength.” During his two terms he increased defense spending 35 percent, but sought to improve relations with the Soviet Union. In dramatic meetings with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, he negotiated a treaty that would eliminate intermediate-range nuclear missiles. Reagan declared war against international terrorism, sending American bombers against Libya after evidence came out that Libya was involved in an attack on American soldiers in a West Berlin nightclub.

By ordering naval escorts in the Persian Gulf, he maintained the free flow of oil during the Iran-Iraq war. In keeping with the Reagan Doctrine, he gave support to anti-Communist insurgencies in Central America, Asia, and Africa.

Ronald Reagan utilized an economic program, known as Reaganomics during his administration. Reaganomics emphasized low taxes, low social services spending, and high military spending. Reaganomics contributed to low interest rates, low inflation, and large budget deficits.

Reaganomics was partially based on the principles of supply side economics and the trickle down theory. These theories are based on the view that decreases in taxes, especially to corporations, is the best way to stimulate economic growth. The idea being that by reducing the expenses of corporations the savings will “trickle down” to the rest of the economy, spurring economic growth.

Prior to becoming Vice President Reagan’s successor, George Bush, coined the phrase, voodoo economics, as a proposed synonym for Reaganomics.

In 1994, five years after leaving office, Reagan disclosed that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The handwritten note concludes, “I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

Ronald Reagan died at the age of 93 after a long bout with Alzheimer’s on June 05, 2004.

Major Works of Ronald Reagan

– I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan (with Nancy Reagan)
– Ronald Reagan: An American Life
– Dear Americans: Letters from the Desk of President Ronald Reagan (with Ralph A. Weber, Ralph E. Weber)
– Reagan, In His Own Hand: The Writings of Ronald Reagan That Reveal His Revolutionary Vision for America (with Annelise Anderson, George P. Shultz, Kiron K. Skinner, Martin Anderson, Annelise Graebner Anderson)
– Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches with Personal Reflections
– Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan (Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson)
– Reagan In His Own Voice (with Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson, George P. Shultz, Annelise Graebner Anderson)
– The Greatest Speeches of Ronald Reagan