Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, passed away on June 5, 2004, following a prolonged battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Born on February 6, 1911, in Illinois, Reagan had a challenging childhood marked by his father’s alcoholism and instability.
Despite this, he excelled in school as a popular and active student, participating in sports and theater.
Reagan’s early career included work as a lifeguard, where he is said to have saved 77 lives.
He later attended Eureka College on a scholarship, where he continued his involvement in athletics and developed his interests in acting and politics.
Reagan’s career as an actor and his role as governor of California eventually led to his presidency, during which he is remembered for revitalizing American confidence.
In 1932, Ronald Reagan graduated from Eureka College with a degree in sociology and economics. He initially worked as a radio sports announcer for five years.
During a trip to California to cover the Chicago Cubs’ spring-training camp, Reagan took a screen test in Los Angeles. Warner Brothers offered him a seven-year contract, but requested that he use his given name, Ronald, rather than his childhood nickname, Dutch, in his film career.
Although Ronald Reagan never reached A-list status, he had a prolific career in Hollywood, appearing in over 50 films and several television programs during his 20-year acting career. His nickname as president, “The Gipper,” originated from his role as George “The Gipper” Gipp in the 1940 film Knute Rockne: All American.
Reagan’s first marriage was to actress Jane Wyman in 1940, with whom he had two children: Maureen, born in 1941, and Michael, adopted in 1945. The couple divorced in 1949.
During World War II, Reagan was exempt from combat duty due to poor eyesight but served in a different capacity by making training films for the military from 1942 to 1945.
His political views shifted to the right in the 1940s, and he became involved in the anti-communist movement. In 1947, he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and later served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) from 1947 to 1952 and again from 1959 to 1960.
Reagan met Nancy Davis, who sought his help to clear her name from communist sympathizer accusations. They married in 1952 and had two children: Patricia, born in 1953, and Ronald, born in 1959.
After registering as a Republican in 1962 and supporting Barry Goldwater in the 1964 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan ran for governor of California in 1966 and won, despite his political inexperience.
His governance focused on lower taxes, reduced spending, and limiting government, principles he would carry into his national policies. He was re-elected in 1970 but lost his first presidential bid in 1976 to Gerald Ford.
Reagan successfully ran for president in 1980, selecting George H.W. Bush as his vice-presidential candidate.
His campaign, which promised smaller government, a stronger military, and tax cuts, resonated with voters frustrated by inflation and the Iran hostage crisis. At 69, he became the oldest person elected president and was re-elected in 1984.
In 1981, Reagan survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr., which further solidified his image as a resilient leader.
Throughout his presidency, Reagan implemented “Reaganomics,” a supply-side economic policy involving substantial tax and spending cuts.
His administration faced criticism for its significant military spending, reductions in social programs, deregulation of businesses, and the controversial firing of striking air-traffic controllers.
Ronald Reagan’s presidency is often defined by his efforts to end the Cold War. He pursued a strategy of significant military buildup to negotiate arms reduction from a position of strength. His famous 1987 speech in Berlin, where he urged Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall,” became a symbolic moment of the Cold War’s end. By 1991, the Berlin Wall had fallen, and the Soviet Union dissolved, marking a dramatic shift in global politics. While Reagan is credited with playing a key role, some argue that internal issues within the Soviet Union were also crucial to its collapse.
Reagan’s foreign policy involved military interventions in Lebanon, Grenada, and Libya, which had varied outcomes. He supported anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua and authorized a covert CIA operation, leading to the Iran-Contra scandal.
The scandal, which involved illegal arms sales to Iran to fund Contra rebels, did not find evidence implicating Reagan or Vice President George H.W. Bush in criminal activities. Despite this controversy, Bush succeeded Reagan as president in 1988.
Reagan, known as the “Great Communicator,” left office as one of the most popular presidents in history. He retired to his California ranch, Rancho del Cielo. In 1994, he announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a development met with widespread sadness.
In his farewell letter to the American people, Reagan expressed hope for a bright future for the nation while beginning the “journey” into his later years.
Ronald Reagan spent his final years at his California ranch, Rancho del Cielo, with his wife Nancy, who remained steadfastly devoted to him. He passed away on June 5, 2004, and was buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
