Origins
Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, the second son of John Edward Reagan, a shoe salesman, and Nelle Wilson Reagan, a devout member of the Disciples of Christ. The family moved frequently during Reagan’s childhood before settling in Dixon, Illinois, where he developed his lifelong optimism and communication skills. Reagan worked as a lifeguard during summers, a job he later cited as formative to his character. He attended Eureka College, a small Christian institution, where he studied economics and sociology while participating in athletics and drama. After graduating in 1932 amid the Great Depression, Reagan found work as a radio sports announcer in Iowa, developing the vocal abilities that would define his public career.
Reagan’s path to politics emerged from an unlikely trajectory through Hollywood. In 1937, he signed a contract with Warner Brothers and appeared in over fifty films during the following two decades, though rarely in leading roles. His political awakening occurred during his tenure as president of the Screen Actors Guild (1947-1952, 1959-1960), where he navigated labor disputes and Cold War tensions within the entertainment industry. Initially a New Deal Democrat, Reagan gradually shifted rightward, formally joining the Republican Party in 1962. His televised speech supporting Barry Goldwater in 1964, “A Time for Choosing,” established him as a conservative spokesman. California Republicans recruited him for the 1966 gubernatorial race, which he won decisively. After serving two terms as governor and unsuccessfully challenging Gerald Ford for the 1976 Republican nomination, Reagan secured the presidency in 1980, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter amid economic stagnation and the Iran hostage crisis.
Presidency
Reagan’s domestic agenda centered on what supporters termed the “Reagan Revolution”—a fundamental reorientation of economic policy. The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 dramatically reduced marginal income tax rates, while the administration pursued deregulation across multiple sectors and sought to reduce the growth of federal spending on domestic programs. The Federal Reserve’s tight monetary policy, initiated under Carter, combined with Reagan’s fiscal approach to eventually reduce inflation, though unemployment initially rose sharply before the economy entered sustained expansion after 1983. Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court justice and later elevated William Rehnquist to Chief Justice while adding Antonin Scalia and Anthony Kennedy to the bench. His administration confronted the emerging AIDS crisis, though critics argue the response was inadequate and delayed. The 1986 Tax Reform Act simplified the tax code, while immigration reform that year provided amnesty to millions of undocumented residents.
Foreign policy under Reagan was defined by intensified Cold War confrontation followed by unprecedented détente. The administration significantly increased defense spending, pursued the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), and supported anti-communist movements in Nicaragua, Afghanistan, and elsewhere through the Reagan Doctrine. The Iran-Contra affair, revealed in 1986, damaged Reagan’s credibility when it emerged that administration officials had secretly sold arms to Iran and diverted proceeds to Nicaraguan rebels despite congressional prohibitions. However, Reagan’s relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev transformed superpower relations. Their summits in Geneva (1985), Reykjavik (1986), Washington (1987), and Moscow (1988) produced the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, eliminating an entire class of nuclear weapons. Reagan’s 1987 Berlin speech demanding that Gorbachev “tear down this wall” became emblematic of the Cold War’s approaching conclusion.
Historical Significance
Reagan left office in January 1989 with robust approval ratings, bequeathing his successor George H.W. Bush an economy in expansion and improving relations with Moscow. However, his administration also left substantial federal deficits, having tripled the national debt. The deregulatory environment contributed to the savings and loan crisis requiring massive federal intervention. Reagan’s coalition reshaped American conservatism, bringing together economic libertarians, social conservatives, and defense hawks in an alliance that dominated Republican politics for decades.
Historians remain divided on Reagan’s presidency. Admirers credit him with restoring American confidence, reviving economic growth, and hastening Soviet collapse. Critics argue that his policies exacerbated economic inequality, neglected vulnerable populations, and that Soviet dissolution resulted primarily from internal contradictions rather than American pressure. Reagan’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 1994, announced in a poignant public letter, prompted retrospective questions about cognitive decline during his presidency. Scholarly assessment continues to evolve, though Reagan consistently ranks in the upper tier of presidential surveys, reflecting his undeniable impact on American political development.
Key Developments
- February 6, 1911: Born in Tampico, Illinois
- 1932: Graduated from Eureka College; began radio broadcasting career
- March 4, 1952: Married Nancy Davis, his second wife, following 1949 divorce from actress Jane Wyman
- November 8, 1966: Elected Governor of California
- November 4, 1980: Defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter to win presidency
- January 20, 1981: Inaugurated as 40th President
- March 30, 1981: Survived assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr.
- August 1981: Signed Economic Recovery Tax Act; dismissed striking air traffic controllers
- November 1986: Iran-Contra affair became public
- December 8, 1987: Signed INF Treaty with Soviet Union
- January 20, 1989: Left office; succeeded by George H.W. Bush
- June 5, 2004: Died at age 93 in Los Angeles, California