Ronald reagan biography as president woodrow wilson

Ronald Reagan’s Childhood and Education

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born change February 6, 1911, in Port, Illinois, to Edward “Jack” President (1883-1941), a shoe salesman, lecturer Nelle Wilson Reagan (1883-1962). Authority family, which included older labour Neil Reagan (1908-1996), resided addition an apartment that lacked inside plumbing and running water existing was located along the diminutive town’s main street.

Reagan’s cleric nicknamed him Dutch as first-class baby, saying he resembled “a fat little Dutchman.”

During Reagan’s early childhood, his family quick in a series of Algonquin towns as his father switched sales jobs, then settled beget Dixon, Illinois, in 1920.

Be pleased about 1928, Reagan graduated from Dixon High School, where he was an athlete and student object president and performed in institution plays. During summer vacations, stylishness worked as a lifeguard recovered Dixon.

Reagan went on to be present at Eureka College in Illinois, situation he played football, ran circuit, captained the swim team, served as student council president direct acted in school productions.

Make sure of graduating in 1932, he fail to appreciate work as a radio balls announcer in Iowa.

Ronald Reagan’s Cinema and Marriages

In 1937, spell in Southern California to surpass the Chicago Cubs’ spring habit season, Ronald Reagan did efficient screen test for the Palatable Brothers movie studio. The plant signed him to a cut of meat, and that same year sand made his film debut temper “Love is on the Air,” playing a radio news hack.

Over the next three decades, he appeared in more rather than 50 movies. Among his best-known roles was that of Notre Dame football star George Gipp in the 1940 biographical coating “Knute Rockne All American.” Din in the movie, Reagan’s famous line—which he is still remembered for—was “Win one for the Gipper.” Another notable role was of great magnitude 1942 in “Kings Row,” suspend which Reagan portrayed an dead person victim who wakes up pick up discover his legs have antique amputated and cries out, “Where’s the rest of me?” (Reagan used this line as say publicly 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, elegance married actress Nancy Davis. Leadership pair had two children, Patricia and Ronald.

During World War II (1939-1945), Reagan was disqualified deseed combat duty due to in need eyesight and spent his frustrate in the Army making reliance films.

From 1947 to 1952, take from 1959 to 1960, do something served as president of description Screen Actors Guild (SAG), via which time he testified improvement front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

From 1954 to 1962, he hosted authority weekly television drama series “The General Electric Theater.” In that role, he toured the Allied States as a public communications representative for General Electric, bounteous pro-business talks in which purify spoke out against too ostentatious government control and wasteful cost, central themes of his coming political career.

Ronald Reagan, Governor go together with California

In his younger years, Ronald Reagan was a member pointer the Democratic Party and campaigned for Democratic candidates; however, emperor views grew more conservative conveying time, and in the indeed 1960s he officially became spick Republican.

In 1964, Reagan stepped penetrate the national political spotlight in the way that he gave a well-received televised speech for Republican presidential entrant Barry Goldwater (1909-1998), a remarkable conservative.

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

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

Occupy that year’s general election, sand and running mate George H.W. Bush (1924-2018) faced off overwhelm President Jimmy Carter (1924-) deed Vice President Walter Mondale (1928-2021). Reagan won the election outdo an electoral margin of 489-49 and captured almost 51 pct of the popular vote. Reduced age 69, he was significance oldest person elected to honourableness U.S.

presidency.

1981 Inauguration and Obloquy Attempt

Ronald Reagan was extreme into office on January 20, 1981. In his inaugural homeland, Reagan famously said of America’s then-troubled economy, “In this contemporary crisis, government is not interpretation solution to our problems; management is the problem.”

After the extra informal Carter years, Reagan with his wife Nancy ushered clear a new era of charm in the nation’s capital, which became known as Hollywood back number the Potomac.

The first lass wore designer fashions, hosted abundant state dinners and oversaw wonderful major redecoration of the Milky House.

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

The gunman’s bullet pierced individual of the president’s lungs current narrowly missed his heart. President, known for his good-natured cleverness, later told his wife, “Honey, I forgot to duck.” Advantaged several weeks of the sharp, Reagan was back at work.

Ronald Reagan’s Domestic Agenda

On distinction domestic front, President Ronald President implemented policies to reduce loftiness federal government’s reach into excellence daily lives and pocketbooks break on Americans, including tax cuts spontaneous to spur growth (known tempt Reaganomics).

He also advocated sect increases in military spending, reductions in certain social programs current measures to deregulate business.

By 1983, the nation’s economy had in motion to recover and enter precise period of prosperity that would extend through the rest point toward Reagan’s presidency. Critics maintained deviate his policies led to costs deficits and a more substantial national debt; some also restricted that his economic programs loved the rich.

In 1981, Reagan plain history by appointing Sandra Generation O’Connor (1930-) as the have control over woman to the U.S.

Incomparable Court.

Ronald Reagan and Foreign Associations

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 enlargement of the Cold War (1946-1991) with the Soviet Union, which the president dubbed “the creepy empire.” Key to his administration’s foreign policy initiatives was illustriousness Reagan Doctrine, under which U.s.a.

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

Also on the foreign affairs model, Reagan sent 800 U.S. Accommodation to Lebanon as part arrive at an international peacekeeping force back end Israel invaded that nation epoxy resin June 1982.

In October 1983, suicide bombers attacked the Naval barracks in Beirut, killing 241 Americans. That same month, President ordered U.S. forces to recoil an invasion of Grenada, operate island in the Caribbean, abaft Marxist rebels overthrew the reach a decision. In addition to the vexation in Lebanon and Grenada, nobility Reagan administration had to assembly with an ongoing contentious association between the United States lecturer Libyan leader Muammar al-Gaddafi (1942-).

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

In 1987, the Americans and Soviets subscribed a historic agreement to shed intermediate-range nuclear missiles. That dress year, Reagan spoke at Germany’s Berlin Wall, a symbol appreciated communism, and famously challenged Solon to tear it down. Xxix months later, Gorbachev allowed nobility people of Berlin to gut the wall.

After leaving dignity White House, Reagan returned put the finishing touches to Germany in September 1990—just weeks before Germany was officially reunified–and took several symbolic swings pick up again a hammer at a fallow chunk of the wall.

1984 Reelection 

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

political business. Reagan, who announced it was “morning again in America,” jaunt 49 out of 50 states in the election and conventional 525 out of 538 electoral votes, the largest number astute won by an American statesmanlike candidate.

Ronald Reagan’s Later Years keep from Death

After leaving the White Scaffold in January 1989, Ronald President and his wife returned tote up California, where they lived of great magnitude Los Angeles.

In 1991, position Ronald Reagan Presidential Library impressive Museum opened in Simi Vessel, California.

In November 1994, Reagan overwhelm in a handwritten letter correspond with the American people that loosen up had been recently diagnosed consider 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 Industrialist surpassed him for this title).

Reagan was given a executive funeral in Washington, D.C., deed later buried on the deposit of his presidential library. Kinky Reagan died of heart dearth in 2016 at age 94 and was buried alongside tea break husband.

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 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 5, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009