Former United States President Ronald Reagan died on XXXXXXXX aged XXXXXX at his home in California. The 40th president of the US, Reagan was elected to the highest office in 1980 and served two consecutive terms. Five years after retirement, the Great Communicator, as he was often called, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and retreated from the public eye.
A caricature of the actor-turned-politician persists, casting him as a movie star who used his Tinseltown talent to secure a ticket to the White House where he simply “stumbled into the end of the Cold War”. Reagan was much more than a two-dimensional footnote in US history, however, and will be remembered for his ease with the American public and success with policy both at home and abroad.
(INSERT QUOTE FROM NANCY OR PROMINENT OFFICIAL ON PEOPLE REMEMBERING REAGAN)Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, to John Edward Reagan, a shoe salesman and a Democrat, and Nelle. His father called him Dutch because he was a chubby baby who looked like a “fat little Dutchman”. He grew up in a devout Christian home, and his faith would later help define his political philosophy. Many said his solid home-town roots and traditional values were part of his appeal and the source of his strong connection with the American public.
At Eureka College in Illinois, Reagan ran track and scored leads in campus drama productions before graduating in 1932 despite his lacklustre academic performance. He soon landed a job as a radio sports announcer, but in 1937 he won a contract in Hollywood and headed west.
After just one year in Tinseltown he had completed nine films, including Brother Rat, a military training story co-starring his future wife, the 27-year-old Jane Wyman. They married in 1940 and the two were instantly dubbed “America’s Sweethearts”. Reagan went on to star in Knute Rockne, All American as George Gipp – the film spawned his “Win one for the Gipper” battle cry – and he and Jane settled into a house on Sunset Boulevard with awe-inspiring views of LA. With the arrival of a daughter, Maureen Reagan, the couple seemed to have it all. (They later adopted a boy, Michael, in 1945).
Then, in 1941, Reagan accepted a post with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and his life changed forever. He became more interested in politics, both within Hollywood and abroad, while his views shifted from liberal to conservative.
With World War II he was called up but, because of his poor eyesight, was not put on active duty. Instead he shot war training films and earned the rank of captain. After the war he returned to film making, but found his energies better used elsewhere. In 1947 he was elected president of SAG – he’d serve six terms in all – and his marriage faltered. Many say Jane was uncomfortable with his increasing involvement in politics and the two divorced in 1948.
In 1951 Reagan found love again with an aspiring actress called Nancy Davis, and a year later they were wed. “I knew that being his wife was the role I wanted to play,” she once said. Ronald continued to act, but his political aspirations began to take precedence over his former celluloid dreams.
General Electric hired him to present a new television series and double as their corporate ambassador to America. Touring the States he honed his legendary speech-making skills and transformed his image in the eyes of the general public. At the 1964 Republican Convention he delivered a now famous command performance introducing presidential hopeful Barry Goldwater and was instantly a credible candidate in his own right.
Friends and advisors persuaded him to run for the governorship of California. He campaigned vigorously and after some accused him of simply being a “puppet”, he began taking questions from the crowds to convince people he wasn’t simply acting the part. He won by a landslide and on January 3, 1967, he was sworn in.
Reagan’s first years in California office were not particularly memorable, though he did levy a series of tax breaks which bolstered the local economy during the Vietnam War. But his ease with people – including leaders of both political parties and voters alike – was a major asset, and in 1980 he ran for president, unseating the incumbent, President Jimmy Carter. On January 20, 1981, he took office as the 40th President of the United States.
The early days in office were tough on the so-called Teflon President, however. Just 69 days into his first term he was shot by would-be assassin John Warnock Hinkley Jr. and the nation wept. Following the incident his popularity soared, and Reagan went on to have a successful eight years in the White House.
During his time in office he and Vice President George H W Bush strengthened national defense and set about cutting taxes. He largely restored public confidence in government, saw the return of numerous hostages from Iran, and set about downsizing the federal government and restoring power to the executive branch. He was reelected in 1984 with the greatest number of electoral votes in history and continued revamping the income tax codes throughout his second term. When he left office, the nation was enjoying a record period of prosperity.
Reagan, one of just two presidents to reach the age of 90, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years after quitting the White House. On November 5, 1994, he withdrew from public life with an open letter about his diagnosis. “I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience,” he wrote.
Nancy had initially encountered resistance from the American public as First Lady, with some seeing her as too controlling. But through her campaigns against drugs and literacy promotion programmes she earned a place in their hearts.
“I can’t imagine life without her,” Reagan said of Nancy. During his eight years in Washington they often dined alone together and he was sometimes caught watching the clock towards the end of the day, eager to return home to her. In his last years, she took care of him and was reportedly the last person he recognised before the disease robbed him of that faculty.
“I think Ronnie would want people to remember him as he was,” Nancy said in February 2001. “He’s had an incredible life. I mean, sports announcer, pictures, governor, president. It’s incredible.”
Ronald Reagan is survived by his wife Nancy and their two children, Ron Reagan and Patti Davis, as well as his adopted son, Michael Reagan. Ronald’s daughter with Jane Wyman, Maureen, died in August 2001 after losing her battle with skin cancer.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
