Ronald Wilson Reagan
40th President of the United States
In office January 20 1981 – January 20 1989
Vice President	George H. W. Bush
Preceded by	Jimmy Carter
Succeeded by	George H. W. Bush
33rd Governor of California
In office January 3 1967 – January 7 1975
Lieutenant	Robert Finch (1967–1969) Ed Reinecke (1969–1974) John L. Harmer (1974–1975)
Preceded by	Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, Sr.
Succeeded by	Edmund G. "Jerry" Brown, Jr.
Personal details
Born	February 6, 1911 Tampico, Illinois, USA
Died	June 5, 2004(2004-06-05) (aged 93) Bel-Air, California, USA
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	(1) Jane Wyman (married 1940, divorced 1948) (2) Nancy Davis Reagan (married 1952)
Alma mater	Eureka College
Occupation	Actor
Signature	File:Reagan signature 3.png

Ronald Wilson Reagan, GCB (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). Born in Illinois, Reagan moved to Hollywood in the 1930s, where he became an actor, President of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and a spokesman for General Electric. Reagan was a New Deal Democrat until switching parties in 1962, becoming a Republican. After delivering his famous "A Time for Choosing" speech, he was persuaded to seek the California Governorship, which he won in 1966 and again in 1970. Defeated for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968 and 1976, he won the nomination, as well as the election, in 1980.

Reagan began his presidency by introducing fiscally-expansive economic policies, dubbed "Reaganomics." After surviving an assassination attempt during his first term, experiencing a period of economic growth,^[1] and ordering a military operation in Grenada, Reagan was reelected in a landslide in 1984. His administration soon saw a number of scandals, most notably the Iran-Contra Affair.

Reagan instituted his policy of "peace through strength" in an arms race with the Soviet Union (USSR). He rejected détente and confronted Communism, famously portraying the USSR as an "Evil Empire" and supporting anti-Communist movements worldwide. Reagan negotiated with Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to shrink both countries' nuclear arsenals and help bring a peaceful end to the Cold War.^[2]

Reagan left office in 1989 and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994. He died in 2004 at the age of ninety-three.

Early life

Reagan was born in a flat above the local bank building in Tampico, Illinois on February 6, 1911 to John "Jack" Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. As a boy, Reagan's father nicknamed his son "Dutch," due to his "fat little Dutchman"-like appearance, and his "Dutchboy" haircut.^[3] The nickname stuck with him throughout his youth. Reagan's family briefly lived in Monmouth, Galesburg and Chicago, until 1919 when they returned to Tampico and lived above the H.C. Pitney Variety Store.^[4]

Following the closure of the Pitney Store in late 1920, the Reagans moved to Dixon, Illinois;^[5] the Midwestern "small universe" had a lasting impression on Ronald.^[6] He attended Dixon High School, where he developed interests in acting and storytelling. His first job was that of a lifeguard at the Rock River in Lowell Park, near Dixon in 1926. "I saved 77 lives," Reagan said in an interview, and mentioned that he notched a mark on a wooden log for every life he saved.^[7] After high school, Reagan attended Eureka College, where he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, majored in economics and sociology, and was very active in sports.^[8]

Entertainment career

Radio and film

After graduating from Eureka in 1932, Reagan worked at radio stations WOC in Davenport, Iowa, and then WHO in Des Moines as an announcer for Chicago Cubs baseball games.^[9] While traveling with the Cubs in California, Reagan took a screen test in 1937 that led to a seven-year contract with the Warner Brothers studio.

His first screen credit was the starring role in the 1937 movie Love Is on the Air, and by the end of 1939, he had appeared in 19 films.^[10] Before the film Santa Fe Trail in 1940, he played the role of George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American. From this role he acquired the nickname "the Gipper," which he retained the rest of his life.^[11] Reagan's favorite acting role was in 1942's Kings Row,^[12] but his performance did not meet with universal approval; one reviewer felt that Reagan had made "only casual acquaintance with the [character]".^[13] Reagan also played in Tennessee's Partner, Hellcats of the Navy, This Is the Army, Bedtime for Bonzo, Cattle Queen of Montana, and The Killers in a 1964 remake.

Military service

After completing 14 home-study Army Extension Courses, Reagan enlisted in the Army Enlisted Reserve on April 29 1937, as a Private assigned to Troop B, 322nd Cavalry at Des Moines, Iowa.^[14] He was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry on May 25 1937, and on June 18 was assigned to the 323rd Cavalry.^[15]

Having served for about five years in the Army Reserve, Reagan was ordered to active duty for the first time on April 18 1942. Due to his nearsightedness, he was classified for limited service only, which excluded him from serving overseas.^[16] His first assignment was at the San Francisco Port of Embarkation at Fort Mason, California, as liaison officer of the Port and Transportation Office. Upon the request of the Army Air Force (AAF), he applied for a transfer from the Cavalry to the AAF on May 15 1942, and was assigned to AAF Public Relations and subsequently to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, California. On January 14 1943 he was promoted to First Lieutenant and was sent to the Provisional Task Force Show Unit of This Is The Army at Burbank, California. Following this duty, he returned to the 1st Motion Picture Unit, and was promoted to Captain on July 22 1943.^[14]

In January 1944, Captain Reagan was ordered to temporary duty in New York City to participate in the opening of the sixth War Loan Drive. He was assigned to the 18th AAF Base Unit, Culver City, California on November 14 1944, where he remained until the end of the World War II. He was recommended for promotion to Major on February 2 1945, but this recommendation was disapproved on July 17 of that year. He returned to Fort MacArthur, California, where he was separated from active duty on December 9 1945.^[14] By the end of the war, his units had produced some 400 training films for the AAF.^[14]

Television and SAG President

Reagan landed fewer film roles in the late 1950s and moved to television as the host of General Electric Theater, earning approximately $125,000 per year ($800,000 in 2006 dollars), until he was fired by General Electric in 1962.^[17] His final work as a professional actor was as host and performer from 1964 to 1965 on the television series Death Valley Days.

Reagan was first elected to the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild in 1941, serving as an alternate. Following World War II, he resumed service and became 3rd Vice President in 1946.^[18] The adoption of conflict-of-interest bylaws in 1947 led the SAG president and six board members to resign; Reagan was nominated in a special election for the position of president and was elected. He would subsequently be chosen by the membership to seven additional one-year terms, from 1947 to 1952 and in 1959. Reagan led SAG through eventful years that were marked by labor-management disputes, the Taft-Hartley Act, House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) hearings and the Hollywood blacklist era.^[18]

In 1947, as SAG President, Reagan testified before HUAC regarding the influence of Communists in the motion picture industry. Strongly opposed to communism, he reaffirmed his commitment to democratic principles, stating, "As a citizen, I would hesitate to see any political party outlawed on the basis of its political ideology. However, if it is proven that an organization is an agent of foreign power, or in any way not a legitimate political party—and I think the government is capable of proving that—then that is another matter...but at the same time I never as a citizen want to see our country become urged, by either fear or resentment of this group, that we ever compromise with any of our democratic principles through that fear or resentment."^[19]

Marriages and children

In 1938, Reagan co-starred in the film Brother Rat with actress Jane Wyman. They were engaged at the Chicago Theatre,^[20] and married on January 26, 1940, at the Wee Kirk o' the Heather church in Forest Lawn, California.^[21] Together they had two children, Maureen Reagan (1941–2001) and Christine Reagan (born and died June 26, 1947), and adopted a third, Michael Reagan (born 1945). Reagan and Wyman divorced on June 28, 1948 following arguments about Reagan's political ambitions,^[11] making Reagan (as of 2007) the only American President to have been divorced.^[22]

Reagan met actress Nancy Davis in 1949 after Davis contacted then-President of the Screen Actors Guild Reagan to help her with issues regarding her name appearing on a communist blacklist in Hollywood (Davis was mistaken for another Nancy Davis). Nancy described their meeting by saying, "I don't know if it was exactly love at first sight, but it was pretty close."^[23] They were engaged at Chasen's restaurant in Los Angeles and were married on March 4, 1952 at the Little Brown Church in the San Fernando Valley.^[24] Ronald and Nancy Reagan had two children: Patti (born 1952) and Ron (born 1958).

Observers described Ronald and Nancy Reagan's relationship as close, real, and intimate.^[25] While President and First Lady, the Reagans were reported to frequently display their affection for each other with one press secretary noting, "They never took each other for granted. They never stopped courting."^[23][26] He often called her "Mommy"; she called him "Ronnie."^[26] When the President was recuperating in the hospital after the assassination attempt in 1981, Nancy Reagan slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent;^[27] in a letter to Mrs. Reagan, President Reagan wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy...all would be without meaning if I didn’t have you."^[28] In 1994, President Reagan wrote "I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with Alzheimer's disease...I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience,"^[23] and in 1998, while her husband was severely affected by Alzheimer's, Nancy told Vanity Fair, "Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are. When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true. It did. I can't imagine life without him."^[23]

Early political career

An admirer of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Reagan supported the New Deal as well as the presidential candidacies of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 and 1956, and that of Richard Nixon in 1960, as a registered Democrat. His political loyalties soon shifted to the Republican Party, however, for he thought that the Democrats had repudiated Thomas Jefferson's beliefs and created a larger government.^[29] Following the election of John F. Kennedy, Reagan formally switched parties in 1962, saying "I didn't leave the Democratic Party. The party left me."^[30] During his work for General Electric, Reagan wrote his own speeches, laboring diligently and daily upon his prose. Although he had speechwriters later in the White House, he continued editing, and even occasionally writing, many of them.^[31]

Two years after switching parties, Reagan joined the campaign of conservative Presidential contender Barry Goldwater. Speaking on Goldwater's behalf, Reagan revealed his ideological motivation in a famed speech given on October 27, 1964: "The Founding Fathers knew a government can't control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government set out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing."^[32] The address soon became known as the "Time for Choosing" speech, and is considered the speech that launched Reagan's political career.^[33]

Governor of California, 1967–1975

California Republicans were impressed with Reagan's political views and charisma after his "Time for Choosing" speech,^[34] and nominated him for Governor of California in 1966. In Reagan's campaign, he emphasized two main themes: "to send the welfare bums back to work," and in reference to burgeoning anti-war and anti-establishement student protests at the University of California at Berkeley, "to clean up the mess at Berkeley."^[35] He was elected, defeating two-term governor Edmund G. "Pat" Brown, and was sworn in on January 3, 1967. In his first term, he froze government hiring and approved tax hikes to balance the budget.^[36]

Shortly after the beginning of his term, Reagan tested the Presidential waters in 1968 as part of a "Stop Nixon" movement which included those from the party's far right. Reagan won the pledges of some 600 delegates, but Richard Nixon quickly steamrolled to the nomination.

Reagan was involved in high-profile conflicts with the protest movements of the era. In 1969, during the People's Park protests at UC Berkeley, Reagan sent California Highway Patrol officers onto the campus to quell the riots.^[37] On May 15 of that year, the riots increased, and the officers resorted to using firearms, shooting and killing a 25-year-old San Jose, California man and injuring others.^[37] Reagan then called out 2,200 state National Guard troops to the university to crack down on the rioters.^[37]

Early in 1967, the national debate on abortion was beginning. Democratic California state senator Anthony Beilenson introduced the "Therapeutic Abortion Act," in an effort to reduce the number of "back-room abortions" performed in California.^[37] The State Legislature sent the bill to Reagan's desk where, after many days of indecision, he signed it.^[38] About two million abortions would be performed as a result, most because of a provision in the bill allowing abortions for the well-being of the mother.^[38] Reagan had been in office for only four months when he signed the bill, and stated that had he been more experienced as governor, it would not have been signed. After he recognized what he called the "consequences" of the bill, he announced that he was pro-life.^[38] He maintained that position later in his political career, writing extensively about abortion.^[39]

Reagan was re-elected in 1970, defeating "Big Daddy" Jesse Unruh, but chose not to seek a third term. One of Reagan's greatest frustrations in office concerned capital punishment, which he strongly supported.^[12] His efforts to enforce the state's laws in this area were thwarted when the Supreme Court of California issued its People v. Anderson decision, which invalidated all death sentences issued in California prior to 1972, though the decision was later overturned by a constitutional amendment. The only execution during Reagan's governorship was on April 12, 1967, when Aaron Mitchell's sentence was carried out by the state in San Quentin's gas chamber.

1976 presidential campaign

In 1976, Reagan challenged incumbent President Gerald Ford in a bid to become the Republican Party's candidate for president. Reagan soon established himself as the conservative candidate; like-minded organizations such as the American Conservative Union became the key components of his political base, while President Ford was considered a more moderate Republican.^[40] He relied on a strategy crafted by campaign manager John Sears of winning a few primaries early to seriously damage the lift-off of Ford's campaign, such as his victories in North Carolina, Texas, and California, but the strategy disintegrated. Poor management of the campaign and other financial problems^{[citation needed]} caused Reagan to lose New Hampshire and later Florida.^[41]

As the party's 1976 convention in Kansas City, Missouri neared, Ford appeared close to victory, in thanks partly to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania delegates. Acknowledging his party's moderate wing, Reagan chose moderate Republican Senator Richard Schweiker of Pennsylvania as his running mate. Nonetheless, Ford narrowly won, with 1,187 delegates to Reagan's 1,070.

Reagan's concession speech emphasized the dangers of nuclear war and the threat posed by the Soviet Union. Although he lost the nomination, he received 307 write-in votes in New Hampshire, 388 votes as an Independent on Wyoming's ballot, and a single electoral vote from a Washington State "faithless elector" in the November election.^[42] Ford went on to lose the 1976 presidential election to the Democratic challenger Jimmy Carter.

1980 presidential campaign

Led by William J. Casey, the 1980 presidential campaign was conducted in the shadow of the Iran hostage crisis, with media networks reporting frequently on Carter's unavailing efforts to free the hostages. On the domestic front, Reagan attacked Carter's inability to deal with double-digit inflation, soaring interest rates, high unemployment, and slow economic growth. With respect to the economy, he quipped, "I'm told I can't use the word depression. Well, I'll tell you the definition. A recession is when your neighbor loses his job; depression is when you lose your job. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his!"^[43] Reagan also stated that America's military had fallen behind that of the Soviet Union, and that détente was a failure.

Reagan's showing in the televised debates boosted his campaign. He deflected President Carter's criticisms with remarks like "there you go again," and a closing question to the audience in which he asked, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?"^[44] During the campaign, there was some spectulation that former President Gerald Ford was to be the Vice Presidential nominee, but Reagan declined when Ford offered a power-sharing arrangement that would elevate the position of the vice-presidency. Instead, Reagan selected his opponent in the primaries, George H. W. Bush, who had extensive international experience.^[45]

Reagan swept to a landslide, carrying 44 states with 489 electoral votes to 49 electoral votes for Carter (representing six states and Washington, D.C.). Reagan won 50.7% of the popular vote while Carter took 41%, and Independent John B. Anderson (a liberal Republican) received 6.7%.^[46] With the aid of Reagan Democrats, blue collar Democrats who voted for him, he was able to carry states such as Michigan, New York and Massachusetts. Republicans captured the Senate for the first time since 1952, and gained 34 House seats, but the Democrats retained a majority.

Presidency, 1981–1989

During his Presidency, Ronald Reagan pursued policies that reflected his optimism in individual freedom, expanded the American economy, and contributed to the end of the Cold War.^[47] The "Reagan Revolution", as it came to be known, aimed to reinvigorate American morale, and reduce the people's reliance upon government.^[47] As President, Reagan kept a series of leather bound diaries, in which he talked about daily occurrences of his presidency, commented on current issues around the world (expressing his point of view on most of them), and frequently mentioned his wife, Nancy. The diaries were recently published into the bestselling book, The Reagan Diaries.^[48]

First term, 1981–1985

In his first inaugural address, which Reagan himself wrote,^[49] he addressed the economic malaise he inherited, arguing: "Government is not the solution to our problems; government is the problem." The Reagan Presidency began in an historic manner: on January 20, 1981 just 30 minutes into his inaugural address, 52 American hostages, held by Iran for 444 days were set free.^[50]

Assassination attempt

On March 30, 1981, only 69 days into the new administration, Reagan, his press secretary James Brady, and two others were struck by gunfire from a deranged would-be assassin, John Hinckley, Jr.. Missing Reagan’s heart by less than one inch (2.5 cm), the bullet instead pierced his left lung, which likely saved his life. In the operating room, Reagan joked to the surgeons, "I hope you're all Republicans!"^[51] Though they were not, Dr. Joseph Giordano replied, "Today, Mr. President, we're all Republicans." When Nancy Reagan came to see him, he famously told her, "Honey, I forgot to duck" (using defeated boxer Jack Dempsey's quip).^[51] On April 12, Mrs. Reagan and their daughter, Patti, escorted the President home from the hospital.

Air traffic controllers' strike

Only a short time into his administration Federal air traffic controllers went on strike, violating a regulation prohibiting Government unions from striking.^[52] Declaring the situation an emergency as described in the 1947 Taft Hartley Act, Reagan held a press conference in the White House Rose Garden, where he stated that if the air traffic controllers "do not report for work within 48 hours, they have forfeited their jobs and will be terminated."^[53] On August 3, 1981, Reagan fired 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who had ignored his order to return to work.^[54][55]

"Reaganomics" and the economy

When Reagan entered office, the American economy's inflation rate stood at 11.83%, and unemployment at 7.1%. Reagan implemented policies based on supply-side economics, seeking to stimulate the economy with large, across-the-board tax cuts.^[56][57] He aimed to reduce the growth of domestic government spending, regulation, and inflation as well.^[58] In attempting to reduce or eliminate decades-long social programs and to significantly increase defense spending, while at the same time lowering taxes, Reagan's approach was a departure from his immediate predecessors.^[58]

Reagan's economic policy, dubbed "Reaganomics", was the subject of debate, with supporters pointing to improvements in certain key economic indicators as evidence of success, and critics pointing to large increases in federal budget deficits and the national debt.

During Reagan's tenure, income tax rates were lowered significantly, with the top personal tax bracket dropping from 70% to 28% in seven years,^[59] but payroll taxes increasing during Reagan's terms.^[60][61] Real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth recovered strongly after the 1982 recession and grew during Reagan's eight years in office at an annual rate of 3.4% per year,^[62] slightly lower than the post-World War II average of 3.6%.^[63] Unemployment peaked at over 9.7% percent in 1982 then dropped during the rest of Reagan's terms,^[57] and inflation significantly decreased.^[64] A net job increase of about 16 million also occurred.

Critics of Reagan's economic polices dubbed them "Trickle-down economics,"^[65] due to the large budget deficits spawned,^[66] and the U.S. trade deficit expansion.^[66] Reagan's policies also contributed to the Savings and Loan crisis,^[67] as well as the stock market crash of 1987.^{[citation needed]} In order to cover new federal budget deficits, the United States borrowed heavily both domestically and abroad, raising the national debt from $700 billion to $3 trillion.^[68] Reagan described it as the "greatest disappointment" of his presidency.^[68]

Reagan reappointed Paul Volcker as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and in 1987 appointed monetarist Alan Greenspan to succeed him. While preserving the core New Deal safeguards, such as the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the GI Bill and Social Security, Reagan rolled back what he viewed as the excesses of 1960s and 1970s liberal policies.

Some economists, such as Nobel Prize winners Milton Friedman and Robert A. Mundell, argue that Reagan's tax policies invigorated America's economy, and contributed to the economic boom of the 1990s.^[69] Other economists, such as Nobel Prize winner Robert Solow, argue that the deficits were a major reason why Reagan's successor, George H.W. Bush, reneged on a campaign promise and raised taxes.^[69]

War on Drugs

Not long after being sworn into office, Reagan declared more militant policies in the "War on Drugs".^[70] He promised a "planned, concerted campaign" against all drugs,^[71] leading to decreases in adolescent drug use in America.^[72]

On October 27, 1986, President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law, which granted $1.7 billion dollars to fight the crisis, and ensured a mandatory minimum penalty for drug offenses.^[73] The Bill was criticized for promoting significant racial disparities in the prison population, because of the differences in sentencing for crack versus powder cocaine.^[73]

Critics also charged that the administration's policies did little to actually reduce the availability of drugs or crime on the street, while resulting in a great financial and human cost for American society.^[74] They regarded Reagan as indifferent to the needs of poor and minority citizens.

Reagan's First Lady, Nancy, made the War on Drugs her main cause, by founding the "Just Say No" anti-drug association, which aimed to discourage children and teenagers from engaging in recreational drug use by offering various ways of saying "no". Mrs. Reagan traveled to 65 cities in 33 states, raising awareness about the dangers of drugs and alcohol.^[75]

Judiciary

During his 1980 campaign, Reagan pledged that, if given the opportunity, he would appoint the first female Supreme Court Justice.^[76] That opportunity came in his first year in office when he nominated Sandra Day O'Connor to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Potter Stewart. In his second term, Reagan elevated William Rehnquist to succeed Warren Burger as Chief Justice, and named Antonin Scalia to fill the vacant seat. However, in 1987, Reagan lost a significant political battle when the Senate rejected the nomination of Robert Bork, but Anthony Kennedy was eventually confirmed in his place.

Lebanon and Grenada, 1983

American peacekeeping forces in Beirut, a part of a multinational force (MNF) during the Lebanese Civil War, were attacked on October 22, 1983. The Beirut barracks bombing, in which 241 American servicemen were killed by suicide bombers, was the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States Marine Corps since the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the deadliest single-day death toll for the United States military since the first day of the Tet offensive. Reagan called the attack "despicable", pledged to keep a military force in Lebanon, and planned to target the Sheik Abdullah barracks in Baalbek, Lebanon, which housed Iranian Revolutionary Guards believed to be training Hezbollah fighters.^[77][78] Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger aborted the mission, however, reportedly because of his concerns that it would harm U.S. relations with other Arab nations. Besides a few shellings, there was no serious American retaliation, and the Marines were moved offshore where they could not be targeted. On February 7, 1984, President Reagan ordered the Marines to begin withdrawal from Lebanon. This was completed on February 26: the rest of the MNF was withdrawn by April.

Three days later, U.S. forces invaded Grenada, where a 1979 coup d'état had established a Marxist-Leninist government aligned with the Soviet Union and Cuba. The Grenadan government began military expansion and construction of an international airport with Cuban assistance. On October 13, 1983, a faction led by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard seized power. A formal appeal from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) led to the intervention of U.S. forces; President Reagan also cited the regional threat posed by a Soviet-Cuban military build-up in the Caribbean and concern for the safety of several hundred American medical students at St. George's University as adequate reasons to invade. On October 25, 1983, in the first major operation conducted by the U.S. military since the Vietnam War, several days of fighting commenced, and led to U.S. victory,^[79] with 19 American fatalities and 116 wounded American soldiers.^[80] In mid-December, after a new government was appointed by the Governor-General, U.S. forces withdrew.^[79]

1984 presidential campaign

Reagan accepted the Republican nomination in Dallas, Texas, on a wave of positive feeling bolstered by the recovering economy and the dominating performance by the U.S. athletes at the Los Angeles Olympics that summer. He became the first American president to open a summer Olympic Games held in the United States.^[81]

Reagan's opponent in the 1984 presidential election was former Vice President Walter Mondale. With questions about Reagan's age, and a weak performance in the first presidential debate, many wondered if he was up to the task of being president for another term.^[82] Reagan rebounded in the second debate, and confronted questions about his age, stating, "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience," which generated applause and laughter from members of the audience, and even from Mondale himself.^[83]

In the 1984 presidential election, Reagan was re-elected, winning 49 of 50 states. The president's landslide victory saw Mondale carry only his home state of Minnesota (by 3800 votes) and the District of Columbia. Reagan won a record 525 electoral votes total (of 538 possible), and received 58.8% of the popular vote to Mondale's 40.6%.^[84]

Second term, 1985–1989

Reagan was sworn in as President for the second time on January 20, 1985, in a private ceremony at the White House. The public ceremony took place in the Capitol Rotunda the next day, because January 20 fell on a Sunday, and thus no public celebration was held. January 21 was one of the coldest days on record in Washington, D.C., and due to the low temperatures inaugural celebrations were held inside the Capitol.

On July 13, 1985, Reagan underwent surgery to remove polyps from his colon, causing the first-ever invocation of the Acting President clause of the 25th Amendment,^[85] and on January 5, 1987, Reagan underwent surgery for prostate cancer which caused further worries about his health. At the time, the President was 76 years old.

In 1985, Ronald and Nancy Reagan visited a cemetery in Bitburg, Germany, where Reagan was to lay a wreath. Some Jewish leaders criticized him for deciding to visit the cemetery, after they discovered that 47 Waffen SS men were buried there.^[86] Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel pleaded with Reagan not to go, stating, "May I, Mr. President, if it is possible at all, implore you to do something else, to find a way, to find another way, another site."^[87] Reagan argued that it would be wrong to back down on a promise he had made to Chancellor Helmut Kohl, and in the end, two retired generals laid the wreath in the cemetery with Reagan present.^[88]

Reagan's administration was criticized for its slow response to the HIV-AIDS epidemic, until the illness of movie star and national icon Rock Hudson became public news in July 1985, by which time over 10,000 Americans had been diagnosed with AIDS, and over 6,000 had died.^[89]

Immigration

In 1986, Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). The act made it illegal to knowingly hire or recruit illegal immigrants, required employers to attest to their employees' immigration status, and granted amnesty to approximately 3 million illegal immigrants who entered the United States prior to January 1, 1982 and lived there continuously. Critics of the act claim that its laws subjecting employers to sanctions were without teeth and that it failed to stem illegal immigration.^[90] Upon signing the act at a ceremony held beside the newly refurbished Statue of Liberty, Reagan said, "The legalization provisions in this act will go far to improve the lives of a class of individuals who now must hide in the shadows, without access to many of the benefits of a free and open society. Very soon many of these men and women will be able to step into the sunlight and, ultimately, if they choose, they may become Americans."^[91]

Iran-Contra Affair

In 1986, the Reagan Administration was found to have illegally sold arms to Iran to fund the anti-communist^[92] Contras in Nicaragua. The Iran-Contra Affair was the largest political scandal in the United States during the 1980s.^[93] President Reagan professed ignorance of the plot's existence and quickly called for an Independent Counsel to investigate. Reagan's denial of awareness of the scandal belied his signing a secret presidential "finding" describing the deal as "arms-for-hostages."^{[citation needed]} The International Court of Justice, in its ruling on Nicaragua v. United States, found that the U.S. had been involved in the "unlawful use of force" in Nicaragua due to its treaty obligations and the customary obligations of international law not to intervene in the affairs of other states.

John Tower, Edmund Muskie and Brent Scowcroft made up the non-partisan, three-man "Tower Commission," appointed by Reagan, to review the scandal. In the end, ten officials in the Reagan Administration were convicted, and others were forced to resign.^[94] Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger was indicted for perjury and later received a presidential pardon from George H. W. Bush. In 2006, historians ranked the Iran-Contra affair as one of the ten worst mistakes by a U.S. president.^[95]

According to The Washington Post, some Central Americans criticize Reagan for his support of the Contras, saying he was an anti-communist zealot, blinded to human rights abuses, while others say he "saved Central America" and helped "nurture democratic governments and free-market systems across the region".^[96] Daniel Ortega, Sandinistan leader of Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990, said that he hoped God would forgive Reagan for his "dirty war against Nicaragua."^[96]

Cold War

Reagan escalated the Cold War, accelerating a reversal from the policy of détente which began in 1979 following the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.^[97] The Reagan Administration implemented new policies towards the Soviet Union: reviving the B-1 bomber program that had been canceled by the Carter administration, and producing the MX "Peacekeeper" missile.^[98] In response to Soviet deployment of the SS-20, Reagan oversaw NATO's deployment of the Pershing II missile in West Germany.^[99]

One of Reagan's more controversial proposals was the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), a defense project^[100] that would have used ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles.^[101] Reagan believed that this defense shield could make nuclear war impossible,^[100][102] but doubt that the technology could ever work led opponents to dub SDI "Star Wars," and argue that the technological objective was unattainable.^[100] The Soviets became concerned about the possible effects SDI would have,^[103] and leader Yuri Andropov considered the possibility that Reagan was pushing to win the Cold War,^[104] saying it put "the entire world in jeopardy."^[104] For those reasons, David Gergen, former aide to President Reagan, believes that in retrospect, SDI hastened the end of the Cold War.^[105]

In a famous address on June 8, 1982 to the British Parliament, Reagan called the Soviet Union an "Evil Empire" that would be consigned to the "ash heap of history." On March 3, 1983, he predicted that communism would collapse, stating, "communism is another sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages even now are being written."^[30] After Soviet fighters downed Korean Air Lines Flight 007 on September 1, 1983, Reagan labeled the act a "massacre" and declared that the Soviets had turned "against the world and the moral precepts which guide human relations among people everywhere."^[106] The Reagan administration responded to the incident by suspending all Soviet passenger air service to the United States, and dropped several agreements being negotiated with the Soviets, hurting them financially.^[106]

Reagan's foreign policies were criticized variously as aggressive, imperialistic, and were derided as "warmongering".^[103] These events occurred before a reformer, Mikhail Gorbachev, rose to power in the Soviet Union in 1985. To confront the USSR's serious economic problems, Gorbachev implemented new policies for openness and reform: glasnost and perestroika.

End of the Cold War

By the early 1980s, Moscow had built up a military that had surpassed that of the United States.^[107] Previously, the United States had relied on the qualitative superiority of its weapons to essentially frighten the Soviets, but with Soviet technological advances in the 1980s, the gap between the two nations was narrowed.^[107] With the Soviet military buildup came large budget deficits; as a result, Gorbachev offered major concessions to the United States on the levels of conventional forces, nuclear weapons, and policy in Eastern Europe.^[108]

Ronald Reagan recognized the change in the direction of the Soviet leadership with Gorbachev, and shifted to diplomacy, with a view to encourage the Soviet Leader to go further with his reforms. Gorbachev agreed to meet Reagan in four summit conferences around the world: the first in Geneva, Switzerland, the second in Reykjavík, Iceland, the third held in Washington, D.C., along with the fourth summit in Moscow, Russia.^[109] Reagan believed that if he could persuade the Soviets to look at the prosperous American economy, they would embrace free markets and a free society. Gorbachev, facing severe economic problems at home, was swayed.^[108]

Speaking at the Berlin Wall, on June 12, 1987, Reagan challenged Gorbachev to go further:

General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!

When Gorbachev visited Washington, D.C. for the third summit in 1987, he and Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty at the White House (they finalized it a year later), which eliminated an entire class of nuclear weapons.^[110]

When Reagan visited Moscow for the fourth summit in 1988, he was viewed as a celebrity by Russians. A journalist asked the president if he still considered the Soviet Union the evil empire. "No," he replied, "I was talking about another time, another era."^[111] At Gorbachev’s request, Reagan gave a speech on free markets at Moscow University.^[112]

In his autobiography An American Life, Reagan expressed his optimism about the new direction that they charted, his warm feelings for Gorbachev, and his concern for Gorbachev's safety because he pushed reforms so hard: "I was concerned for his safety," Reagan wrote. "I've still worried about him. How hard and fast can he push reforms without risking his life?"^[113] Events would unravel far beyond what Gorbachev originally intended, for in 1990, the Berlin Wall was torn down and a year later, the Soviet Union officially collapsed.

Close of the Reagan era

In 1988 George H. W. Bush, Reagan's Vice President, was elected President of the United States. On January 11, 1989 Reagan addressed the nation for the last time on television from the Oval Office, nine days before handing over the presidency. On the morning of January 20, Ronald and Nancy Reagan escorted the Bushes to the Capitol Building, where Bush took the Oath of Office. The Reagans then boarded a Presidential helicopter, and flew to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. There, they boarded the Presidential Jet and flew to California—to their new home in the wealthy suburb of Bel-Air in Los Angeles. Reagan was the oldest president to have served (at 77), surpassing Dwight Eisenhower, who was 70 when he left office in 1961.

Post-presidential years, 1989–2004

The Reagans would enjoy the private life for the next five years, traveling from their Bel-Air, California home to the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California every few months. Reagan made occasional appearances on behalf of the Republican Party, including a well-received speech at the 1992 Republican National Convention.^[114] He publicly spoke in favor of a line-item veto, a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget, and repealing the 22nd Amendment, which prohibits a President from serving more than two terms.^[115] Reagan's final public speech was on February 3, 1994, during a tribute in Washington, D.C., and his last major public appearance was at the funeral of fellow Republican President Richard Nixon on April 27, 1994.

In 1992, President Reagan established the Ronald Reagan Freedom Award with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The award, the highest given by the Reagan Foundation, is presented on a regular basis to one person in the world who has "made monumental and lasting contributions to the cause of freedom worldwide," and who "embodies President Reagan's lifelong belief that one man or woman truly can make a difference."^[116] The first recipient was former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the most recent (as of February 2007) was former United States President George H. W. Bush.^[117] When President Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease, Nancy Reagan took on the role of presenting the award on behalf of her husband.^[116]

Presidential Library and Museum

On November 4, 1991, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library was dedicated and opened to the public. At the dedication ceremonies, five presidents, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Reagan, and George H. W. Bush, were all in attendance, as well as six first ladies, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush. As of 2007, the library is the largest of the Presidential Libraries. Notable exhibits include ones on the Reagan's Ranch; a full-scale replica of the Oval Office; the limousine that President and Mrs. Reagan used while in the White House; and the actual Boeing 707, Air Force One, that served President Reagan during his eight years in office. On June 11, 2004, after a state funeral in Washington, D.C., President Reagan was interred on the property, and on May 3, 2007, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation hosted the first 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates debate in the Air Force One Pavilion at the Library, with Mrs. Reagan in attendance.^[118]

Alzheimer's disease

On November 5, 1994, Reagan informed the nation via a hand-written letter that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. With his trademark optimism, he stated: "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. Thank you, my friends. May God always bless you."^[119]

As the years went on, the disease slowly destroyed his mental capacity and his family decided that he would live in quiet isolation. On February 6, 2001, Reagan reached the age of 90, becoming the third former President to do so (the other two being John Adams and Herbert Hoover). Just three weeks before, Reagan had undergone hip-replacement surgery; because of this and his Alzheimer's disease, his 90th birthday was a low-key celebration with his family at his home in Bel-Air. With the progression of the disease, Reagan's public apparences became much less frequent, and Nancy Reagan told CNN's Larry King that very few visitors were allowed to see her husband because she felt that "Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was."^[120] Since his diagnosis and his death, Mrs. Reagan has become a stem-cell research advocate, urging Congress and President George W. Bush to support embryonic stem-cell research, something he adamantly opposes. Mrs. Reagan has said that she believes that it could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's.^[121]

Religious beliefs and philosophy

Reagan was a Christian, raised in the Disciples of Christ faith, and attended Bel Air Presbyterian Church in his later years.^[122] His burial site is inscribed with the words he delivered at the opening of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library:

I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there’s purpose and worth to each and every life.^[123]

According to Paul Kengor, author of God and Ronald Reagan, Reagan had a strong faith in the goodness of people, stemming from the teachings of his mother, Nelle's, optimistic faith.^[124] The young Ronald Reagan learned Christian tolerance, a strong sense of personal responsibility, sobriety, and faith in the goodness of God's creation.^[125] Reagan was opposed to discrimination, recalling a time in Dixon when the local inn would not allow black people to stay there. Reagan brought them back to his house, where his mother invited them to stay the night and have breakfast the next morning.^[126]

Death

Reagan died at his home in Bel-Air, California, at 1:00 PM PDT on June 5, 2004. A short time after his death, Nancy Reagan released a statement saying: "My family and I would like the world to know that President Ronald Reagan has passed away after 10 years of Alzheimer's Disease at 93 years of age. We appreciate everyone's prayers." Reagan's body was taken to the Kingsley and Gates Funeral Home in Santa Monica, California later in the day, where well-wishers paid tribute by laying flowers and American Flags in the grass.^[127] On June 7, his body was removed and taken to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, where a brief family funeral service was held. His body lay in repose in the Library lobby until June 9; over 100,000 people viewed the coffin.^[128]

On the 9th, Reagan's casket was flown to Washington D.C. where he became the 10th United States president to lie in state. In the thirty-four hours that it lay there, 104,684 people filed past the coffin.^[129]

On June 11, a state funeral was conducted in the Washington National Cathedral, and presided over by President George W. Bush. Eulogies were given by former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and both Presidents Bush. Also in attendance were Mikhail Gorbachev, and many world leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and interim presidents Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, and Ghazi al-Yawer of Iraq.

After the funeral service, the Reagan entourage was flown back to California—to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library—where another service was held, and President Reagan was interred. He is the second longest-lived president in U.S. history and was the first United States president to die in the 21st century. His was the first state funeral in the United States since that of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973.

Legacy

The noted presidential biographer Richard Reeves summarized in President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination that Reagan understood

...how to be President, who knows that the job is not to manage the government but to lead a nation. In many ways, a quarter century later, he is still leading. As his vice president, George H.W. Bush, said after Reagan was shot and hospitalized in 1981: 'We will act as if he were here.' He is a heroic figure if not always a hero. He did not destroy communism, as his champions claim, but he knew it would self-destruct and hastened the collapse. No small thing. He believed the Soviet Union was evil and he had contempt for the established American policies of containment and détente. Asked about his own Cold War strategy, he answered: 'We win. They lose!' Like one of his heroes, Franklin D. Roosevelt, he has become larger than life.^[130]

Reagan's supporters believe that much of America's success today can be attributed to Ronald Reagan, including a more efficient and more prosperous economy,^[131] a peaceful end to the Cold War, and a world safer from the threat of nuclear war.^[132] According to a New York Times editorial, critics argue that his economic policies caused huge budget deficits, tripling the United States national debt.^[133][134]

When Ronald Reagan died in June 2004, President George W. Bush, who presided over the state funeral, called Reagan "a modest son of America" and said "Ronald Reagan always told us the best was yet to come.... We know that's true for him, too. His work is done."^[135] Vice President Dick Cheney said at Reagan's memorial service, "In this national vigil of mourning, we show how much America loved this good man, and how greatly we will miss him."^[136] President Bill Clinton stated, "it is fitting that a piece of the Berlin Wall adorns the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington," and Senator Ted Kennedy said that the 40th President "will be honored as the president who won the Cold War."^[137]

Popular opinion

Ronald Reagan is one of America's most popular presidents. In several recent ratings of American presidents, Ronald Reagan ranked high. A Gallup Organization February 2007 poll asked respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Reagan came in second, capturing 16% of the vote, after Abraham Lincoln.^[139] Reagan ranked fifth in an ABC 2000 poll of the public and ninth in a Rasmussen Reports 2007 poll of Americans. In a 1999 C-SPAN project on the American Presidents, Reagan ranked sixth in a poll of viewers and 11th in a poll of historians.^[140]

Honors

Reagan received a number of awards in his pre- and post-presidential years. After he was elected president, Reagan received a lifetime "Gold" membership in the Screen Actors Guild, as well as the United States Military Academy's Sylvanus Thayer Award.^[141]

In 1989, Reagan received an honorary British knighthood, The Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath. This entitled him to the use of the post-nominal letters GCB, but did not entitle him to be known as "Sir Ronald Reagan." Only two American Presidents have received the honor—Reagan and Bush.^[142] While in England, he was named an honorary Fellow of Keble College, Oxford. Also in 1989, Japan awarded Reagan the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum, Reagan being the only American President to receive such an award.^[143]

In 1993, the highest honor that the United States can give, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, was awarded to Ronald Reagan by then-President George H. W. Bush.^[144] Reagan was also awarded the Republican Senatorial Medal of Freedom, the highest honor bestowed by the Republican members of the Senate.^[145]

On February 6, 1998, Washington National Airport was renamed Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport by a bill signed into law by President Clinton. Three years later, the USS Ronald Reagan was christened by Nancy Reagan and the United States Navy. It is one of few ships christened in honor of a living person, and the first to be named in honor of a living former President.^[146] On May 5 of that year the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center was dedicated in Washington, D.C. The building, located in Washington's Federal Triangle, hosts large events in the area.^[147]

In 1999, Reagan was among 18 included in Gallup's List of Widely Admired People of the 20th Century, from a poll conducted of the American people. Also in 1999, in San Antonio, Texas, a new high school was named after him, Ronald Reagan High School.

In 2002, Congress authorized the creation of Ronald Reagan Boyhood Home National Historic Site in Dixon, Illinois, pending federal purchase of the property. On May 16, 2002, Nancy Reagan accepted the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor bestowed by Congress, on behalf of the President and herself.^[148]

In 2004, the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority voted to rename Interstate 88, which was formerly called the East-West Tollway, in his memory.

Reagan was awarded three posthumous honors in 2005. The President Ronald Reagan commemorative postage stamp was made available on February 9, and issued by the United States Postal Service. An unveiling of the stamp's image had taken place in a ceremony at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library four months earlier, with Nancy Reagan in attendance.^[149] On May 14, CNN, along with the editors of TIME magazine, named him the "most fascinating person" of the network's first 25 years.^[150] TIME also named Reagan one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.^[151] On June 26, 2005, the Discovery Channel asked its viewers to vote for The Greatest American in an unscientific poll; Reagan received the honorary title.^[152]

In 2006, a new high school in Doral, Florida was named after him, and highway 469 in Fort Wayne, Indiana was renamed the Ronald Reagan Expressway. On December 6 2006, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver inducted Ronald Reagan into the California Hall of Fame located at The California Museum for History, Women, and the Arts.

On July 17, 2007, Ronald Reagan was posthumously awarded with the highest Polish distinction, the Order of the White Eagle, by Polish President Lech Kaczyński.^[153]

Footnotes

References

• Appleby, Joyce (2003). The American Journey. Woodland Hills, California: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill. 0078241294. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Bennett, James. (1987) Control of Information in the United States. Westport, Connecticut: Meckler Corporation.
• Beschloss, Michael (2007). Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How they Changed America 1789–1989. Simon & Schuster.
• Cannon, Lou (2000). President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. New York: Public Affairs. ISBN 1891620916.
• Cannon, Lou (2001). Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio: A History Illustrated from the Collection of the Ronald Reagan Library and Museum. PublicAffairs. ISBN 1891620843. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Curry, Richard. (1992) Thought Control and Repression in the Reagan-Bush Era. Los Angeles, California: First Amendment Foundation.
• Diggins, John Patrick (2007). Ronald Reagan: Fate, Freedom, and the Making of History. New York: W. W. Norton.
• Freidel, Frank (1995). The Presidents of the United States of America. Washington, D.C.: White House Historical Association. ISBN 0912308575. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
• Gaddis, John Lewis (2005). The Cold War: A New History. The Penguin Press.
• LaFeber, Walter (2002). America, Russia, and the Cold War, 1945–1971. New York: Wiley.
• Matlock, Jack (2004). Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended. New York: Random House. ISBN 0679463232.
• Morris, Edmund (1999). Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan. Random House. includes fictional material
• Murray, Robert K. & Blessing, Tim H. (1993). Greatness in the White House. Penn State Press.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
• Reagan, Nancy (1989). My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan. New York: Harper Collins.
• Reagan, Ronald (1990). An American Life. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0743400259.
• Reeves, Richard (2005). President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0743230221.
• Regan, Donald (1988). For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0151639663.
• Walsh, Kenneth (1997). Ronald Reagan. New York: Random House Value Publishing, Inc. ISBN 0517200783.

Further reading

External links

• White House biography
• RonaldReagan.com
• The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
• Extensive essay on Ronald Reagan and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs
• Full audio of 14 Reagan speeches via the Miller Center of Public Affairs (UVa)
• Extensive collection of Oral History Transcripts on the Reagan Administration from the Miller Center of Public Affairs (UVa)
• Biography and gubernatorial inaugural addresses from the CA governors office
• Video & Audio clips
• BBC historic figures
• CNN Biography with speeches
• Ronald Reagan at IMDb
• Template:Nndb name

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