Ronald Reagan
At the end of his two terms in office, Ronald Reagan viewed with satisfaction
the achievements of his innovative program known as the Reagan Revolution,
which aimed to reinvigorate the American people and reduce their reliance upon Government.
He felt he had fulfilled his campaign pledge of 1980 to restore "the great,
confident roar of American progress and growth and optimism."
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. Maureen passed away in 2001. 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.
Overall, the Reagan years saw a restoration of prosperity, and the goal of peace
through strength seemed to be within grasp.