I am going to talk of controversial things. I make no apology for this.
Its time we asked ourselves if we still know the freedoms intended for us by the Founding Fathers. James Madison said, "We base all our experiments on the capacity of mankind for self government."
This idea that government was beholden to the people, that it had no other source of power is still the newest, most unique idea in all the long history of man’s relation to man. This is the issue of this election: Whether we believe in our capacity for self-government or whether we abandon the American Revolution and confess that a little intellectual elite in a far-distant capital can plan our lives for us better than we can plan them ourselves.
You and I are told we must choose between a left and right, but I suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There is only an up or down. Up to man’s age-old dream-the maximum of individual freedom consistent with order or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism. Regardless of their sincerity, their humanitarian motives, those who would sacrifice freedom for security have embarked on this downward path. Plutarch warned, "The real destroyer of the liberties of the people is he who spreads among them bounties, donations and benefits."
The Founding Fathers knew a government can’t control the economy without controlling people. And they knew when a government sets out to do that, it must use force and coercion to achieve its purpose. So we have come to a time for choosing.
Public servants say, always with the best of intentions, "What greater service we could render if only we had a little more money and a little more power." But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or as economically as the private sector.
Yet any time you and I question the schemes of the do-gooders, we’re denounced as being opposed to their humanitarian goals. It seems impossible to legitimately debate their solutions with the assumption that all of us share the desire to help the less fortunate. They tell us we’re always "against," never "for" anything.
We are for a provision that destitution should not follow unemployment by reason of old age, and to that end we have accepted Social Security as a step toward meeting the problem. However, we are against those entrusted with this program when they practice deception regarding its fiscal shortcomings, when they charge that any criticism of the program means that we want to end payments....
We are for aiding our allies by sharing our material blessings with nations, which share our fundamental beliefs, but we are against doling out money government to government, creating bureaucracy, if not socialism, all over the world.
We need true tax reform that will at least make a start toward restoring for our children the American Dream that wealth is denied to no one, that each individual has the right to fly as high as his strength and ability will take him.... But we cannot have such reform while our tax policy is engineered by people who view the tax as a means of achieving changes in our social structure...
Have we the courage and the will to face up to the immorality and discrimination of the progressive tax, and demand a return to traditional proportionate taxation? ... Today in our country the tax collector’s share is 37 cents of every dollar earned. Freedom has never been so fragile, so close to slipping from our grasp.
Are you willing to spend time studying the issues, making yourself aware, and then conveying that information to family and friends? Will you resist the temptation to get a government handout for your community? Realize that the doctor’s fight against socialized medicine is your fight. We can’t socialize the doctors without socializing the patients. Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he’ll eat you last.
If all of this seems like a great deal of trouble, think what’s at stake. We are faced with the most evil enemy mankind has known in his long climb from the swamp to the stars. There can be no security anywhere in the free world if there is no fiscal and economic stability within the United States. Those who ask us to trade our freedom for the soup kitchen of the welfare state are architects of a policy of accommodation.
They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong. There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. Winston Churchill said that, "the destiny of man is not measured by material computation. When great forces are on the move in the world, we learn we are spirits-not animals." And he said, "There is something going on in time and space, and beyond time and space, which, whether we like it or not, spells duty."
You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.
Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois to Jack Edward Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. Jack was a shoe salesman. He took great pride in his Irish-Catholic ancestry. The Reagans had come from Ireland to Illinois before the Civil War. They loved music and dance. Jack and Nelle’s first child was John Neil, who was nicknamed 'Moon'.
The Little Dutchman
At the time of Ronald’s birth, Nelle was in hard labor and was having a very difficult time. Jack feared for her life. After a long and painful time, Ronald Wilson Reagan was born. The doctor had informed Jack that it would be Nelle’s last child. When Jack saw Ronald, he commented :
"For such a little bit of a Dutchman, he makes a hell of a lot noise."
And because of his robust appearance, Ronald was nicknamed ‘Dutch’.
Jack and Nelle had decided that their children would be raised as catholic, but at an age when they could decide for themselves, they were to have a free choice. The Bible had always been Nelle’s companion and she was drawn to the Christian faith and its doctrines. The Church’s doctrines had a very strong effect on her. She attended prayer meetings with both children every Wednesday and Sunday nights. On Sunday mornings, the boys would attend Sunday school.
The Struggling Times
After moving from town to town in search of work, Ronald’s family settled in Gelesburg. ‘Dutch’ had been enrolled in the first grade of Filas Willard School. In the middle of his second year, the Reagans were again forced to move as Jack had lost his job. The family then left for Monmouth, Illinois, where Jack found employment as a shoe clerk.
The Reagans were unaware of ‘Dutch’s’ poor eyesight, and he too never knew that he had some problems with his sight. His vision was blurred so he could not see distant objects, and small ones in particular, with clarity. He kept on believing that this was the way world was: blurred, as it appeared to him. He managed to do well in school because of his wonderful memory. He would remember dates and names and was very fast in multiplication and division. Monmouth Central School, where ‘Dutch’ enrolled in the third grade was a huge school. Entering a new school was always a tough task for ‘Dutch’, but his brother Neil adjusted better and faster.
The Reagan family was passing through hard times. Jack’s salary was not enough to cover all expenses. Later, Jack’s old boss wrote a letter offering better pay and a chance to become a partner if he returned to Tampico. The Reagans grabbed this opportunity and the entire family shifted to Tampico. ‘Dutch’ and Neil were very excited with the freedom the small town offered them – to roam and play in streets. But Jack, after living a more cosmopolitan life in large cities, became restless in this small town. He conveyed to his boss his desire to quit. His boss finally decided to sell the place but asked Jack to stay until some party was ready to buy it.
The Growing Years
‘Dutch’ was like any other ordinary American boy who loved to play mischief with a ‘gang’ in tow. ‘Dutch’ would manage to stay out of trouble or at least avoid being caught in the act. He and his friends went cycling and swimming and soon enough he was the best swimmer in his group.
During Christmas, the Reagans visited their family friends – the Wilson family, who had a huge farm in Illinois. From the station, they rode in sleighs through thick snow. ‘Dutch’ loved these adventures because it brought him in touch with nature. He talked about being a cowboy and living in the West.
‘Dutch’ was a great imitator. He would get up in a room of a dozen people and imitate the announcer. Everyone would laugh and he would repeat the performance to his audiences’ delight.
‘Dutch’ began to daydream and he found escape in his make-believe world. Neil and ‘Dutch’ shared a closer affinity with each other. Neil was more like his father, well-built and athletic personality, whereas Dutch was ‘scrawny’, a dreamer and somewhat precocious. He had a habit of blinking out of nervousness. He got along better with females than Neil did. He was very polite – he sat only after the ladies had done so, taking off his hat upon entering a room and always ready to offer help whenever needed.
Sixteen months after the Reagans had returned to Tampico, Jack’s boss sold the place and offered Jack another job as a storekeeper of a shoe store in another town, Dixon. Jack accepted the offer and the Reagans left Tampico for Dixon. The boys were then enrolled at South Central Grammar School. Neil as usual, made friends and adjusted quickly to the new environment than ‘Dutch’.
Dutch’s nearsightedness contributed greatly to his love for football over baseball. In his later years, Dutch claimed that it never occurred to him that he was seriously nearsighted. He thought that the whole world was blurred and it appeared the same to others as it did to him. He never cared for baseball because when he stood at the plate, the ball would appear out of nowhere and hit him on the face. He had trouble reading the blackboard even from the front seat in the classroom. After his 13th birthday, the Reagans went for a Sunday afternoon ride. Neil kept quoting the roadside advertisement signs as they drove past. But Dutch could not see them and jokingly tried his mother’s glasses. And for the first time in his life, saw a clear new world. Nelle then had him fitted with huge spectacles. Though he felt that the "miracles of seeing was beyond believing", he began to hate the big glasses even though the glasses helped him enjoy his two favorite pastimes – reading and watching movies. He was greatly addicted to Western films, and every time Jack gave him some money, he would scamper to the nearest movie-hall.
Dixon had a large group of women golfers, and tournaments were often held at the country club. ‘Dutch’ worked as a caddy. He also developed a hobby of collecting bird eggs. Jack got him an old display case from the store and the eggs were then stored in the barn. ‘Dutch’ would often climb trees to get them.
The Baptism
‘Dutch’ and Neil were baptized on June 21, 1922. The sacrament of baptism was a personal confession of faith – a symbol of death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, and a commitment to the ways of Christ. Both boys had a sense of religion, but ‘Dutch’s’ faith was a more active part of his life. Reagan once told the Southern Baptist Convention priest in 1980, "I had a personal experience when I invited Christ into my life." The Reverend priest asked him if he knew Lord Jesus or he just knew about him. Reagan replied : "I know Him !"
Diving Into The First Job
In the spring of 1926, after several tragic drownings in the pool the government constituted Park Commission, which threatened to closedown Lowell Park until better safety precautions were in place. ‘Dutch’ applied for the job of a lifeguard and was immediately accepted. His schedule called for him to work 12 hours a day and seven days a week. He stayed with them for six years and in those six years there was not a single case of drowning. He saved 77 lives during his tenure.
Pool To Podium
After completing his high school, ‘Dutch’ wished to enroll in Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois, but his one obstacle was money. Basically, a theological college, Eureka had other degrees to offer. Jack applied for a sports scholarship, which he got, and in 1928, entered the Eureka College. At college, he majored in economics and sociology. He actively participated in all the extra-curricular activities of the college. He played football and also served as captain of the swimming team. He also played leading roles at several college plays and also became the president of the student council.
After graduating from Eureka, he became a sportscaster for radio station WOC in Davenport, Iowa. After a few months, he was sent to station WHO in Des Moines, where he gave game-by-game account of major baseball league games, Big Ten football games, and other sports events. In 1937, he traveled to southern California to report on the spring training season of a baseball team. There, he gave a screen test for Warner Brothers, one of the largest motion-picture studios. The studio signed him on an acting contract, and thus began an unending saga of a new world and a new life.
The Silver Screen
Until Reagan arrived at the Warner studio, he was not aware that he had been cast as the lead in Love Is On The Air. The unit was scheduled to begin shooting after four days, and the studio had only those many days left to prepare a lead who neither had any camera exposure nor professional acting experience. Though the film was a low budget, (the film was to be made for $1,19,000) they had gambled by casting an inexperienced person, in the lead role. Immediately upon his arrival at the studio, Reagan was taken over by men and women who created a distinctive look for each actor – the makeup artists, the hairdressers and the wardrobe designer.
On the first day of the shooting, the director called the cast together, handed out mimeographed scripts, and asked to rehearse the scene to be shot. Reagan imagined being kicked out of the studio right then. Reading the lines and at the same time enacting them was difficult for him. So when his turn came, the lines just blurted out of his mouth without any emotion or passion. The director, who was present at Reagan’s screen test was very much impressed by his performance then, was puzzled too. He took Reagan aside and enquired him about the problem he faced. Reagan conveyed the problem and his shoot for the scene was postponed until the next day. The next day, Reagan came with all his lines memorized and the scene was shot. Reagan conveyed all the enthusiasm and intensity that had prompted the Warner Bros. to offer him a contract. From that day onwards, he would never appear on the sets without learning his lines. Seldom was his scene re-shot because of his memory. >
Love Is On The Air was a musical film and was shot in three weeks flat. Reagan learned all the tricks of the trade. He learned all about positions, angles and movements of the head and the face. He also followed the chalk marks made on the floor indicating where the actor was supposed to halt during a particular scene. The camera did not intimidate him and he never developed cold feet. Once he mastered the technique, he was able to perform naturally. He never felt conscious while facing the camera as if the camera was made for him and vice-versa.
Conservative and as responsible as always, Reagan still sent Nelle and Jack a weekly check and saved money so that they all could live together. He was not prepared for such a glamorous world, but at the same time, he was not scared of the showbiz and stardom. He loved the glamour and excitement, which Hollywood provided.
Six days after he completed Love Is On The Air, he began working on Sergeant Murphy. By the time Sergeant Murphy was completed, Love Is On The Air was released and Reagan’s work was good enough to be noticed by critics and fans. Warner Bros. decided to cast him in small roles for two films, Hollywood Hotel and Swing Your Lady. In both the films, his appearance was brief and after his five-day assignment on Swing Your Lady, the Warner Bros. sent him to Coronado, about a 100 miles of Los Angeles, for the role of a Navy flier in another film Submarine D – 1.
On returning, he sent Nelle and Jack the railroad fare and rented an apartment for them. His expenses were hard to meet but he was determined to call his parents.
Less than a year after he arrived in Hollywood, his major concern was how badly the actors were treated by the studios. He became aware of the potential power of the Screen Actors and the Screen Writers Guilds. He had joined the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) when he first came to Hollywood. Now, he started taking vital interests in it. He appeared in many films, Secret Service Of The Air, Hell’s Kitchen, Cold Of The Secret Service, Smashing The Money Ring and Murder In The Air during this period.
Later, in the film Brother Rat, the Warner Bros. cast him in the lead. Among others in the cast was Jane Wyman. She was to divorce her husband and around that time, she tried to catch Reagan’s attention. But Reagan tried his best to ignore her because everything in Reagan’s background rejected the idea of getting involved with another man’s wife, no matter how close husband and spouse were to severing their legal ties. But who knew what was laid in destiny's womb.
Jane Wyman
Sarah Jane Fulks, popularly known as Jane Wyman, was born on January 5, 1914 in St. Joseph, Missouri. In 1934, she entered Hollywood. She appeared in bits or as a chorus girl in films like The Kid From Spain, Elmer The Great, College Rhythm, All The King’s Horses, Stolen Harmony and Rhumba. Then Warner Bros. signed a contract with her on May 6, 1936 insisting that she change her name. She dropped her first name Sarah because she never liked it and added the name Wyman to Jane, and thus she was christened Jane Wyman in Hollywood. For two years, Warner cast her in comedy roles. Jane was very ambitious, constantly working to improve on her talent.
In 1936, she met Myron Futterman who owned a successful dress company in Los Angeles. He was 35 years old and a divorcee. Jane and Myron got married in New Orleans on June 29, 1937. Myron wanted her to settle after the marriage and step back from the lime-light Hollywood, but Jane had thought that he would help her to succeed in her silver screen ambition. After three months of their wedding, the couple separated.
Wyman met Reagan on the sets of Brother Rat. He asked her out for a date. One date led to another, and soon they were seeing each other regularly. Reagan was protective and she felt safe with him. After the wonderful response Brother Rat got, Warner made a sequel to the film called Brother Rat And A Baby. Jane and Reagan dated fairly steadily during the shooting of this sequel too. They finally married on January 26, 1940.
To their fans, the Wyman–Reagan marriage was a fairy-tale affair. Reagan had all the attributes of an American hero – a dashing young man with ideals. Wyman, on the other hand, was ambitious, intelligent and who had a great need to be loved and perceived as a person of consequence.
Meanwhile, Reagan had an idea that the Notre Dame football star George Gipp, who had died a premature death while at university, would be a character well suited to be made into a film and Reagan could play his role. Wyman encouraged him to act upon this idea. Reagan did not know how to approach the project. So he discussed this with the Warner Bros. and an announcement was made that the Warner Brothers had scheduled The Life of Knute Rockne, which was later changed to Knute Rockne – All American, and were looking out for an actor to play George Gipp, the great Gipper. After much struggle, Reagan managed to get the role and thus the production of Knute began.
Reagan’s career looked as though it had taken an upward swing. He had married a terrific lady whom he loved and who loved him, his option had been accepted and there were plans to renegotiate with him. Warner Bros. had hopes that Knute Rockne would make Reagan a star.
Knute Rockne – All American was ready for release by the first week in September 1941. Reagan called its filming ‘a thrilling experience’. Reagan was counting on his role in Knute Rockne – All American to boost him to real stardom. He had made three films since Brother Rat and A Baby – An Angel From Texas, Murder In The Air and Tugboat Annie Sails Again. The response which Knute Rockne – All American got was overwhelming. The film was the most successful so far for Reagan.
In 1940, Wyman became pregnant. She differed from the stars who feared children might reduce their popularity. On the contrary, she thought it could reverse her screen image, add maturity and depth to her character. Thus, on January 4, 1941, Maureen Reagan was born.
The Reagan marriage had its ups and downs. Wyman was frustrated and depressed with her situation at Warner Bros., where she felt she was not getting the proper attention. Also their lives were pulling apart as Ronald lived totally in a man’s world, removed from the everyday concerns. She suffered isolation when he was in company of his old buddies or debating with his political friends. The day-to-day care of Maureen was her responsibility, as was supporting the household. The couple’s time together, though frequent, was brief and inappropriate for a discussion of mundane affairs.
Wyman was not finding life with Reagan easy, as he became more and more political and an increasingly forthright speaker, and would enjoy moments in the public. She gradually became more withdrawn and involved in Maureen and her career, which had not been satisfying to her.
Wyman had always wanted another child and on March 18, 1945, the Reagans adopted Michael Edward Reagan. He was only 12 hours old when they took him through adoption. The Reagans issued a statement that they had "decided to adopt because so many children in the world are is need of care and love, and a real home life. Therefore, we felt that it was important for people who want more children and can provide for them to add from the outside to their family as we have…"
Paving the Political Path
Wyman’s film The Lost Weekend was released and Hollywood had a second look at her. In this film, she was with her natural, dark brown hair and minimum makeup. Her wardrobe was simple but attractive. Through this film, Wyman’s old desire to be accepted as a serious actress, as an artist and not just another face on the screen became a reality. Reagan and Wyman’s careers were going in different directions. Wyman’s career was ascending. Reagan, meanwhile, had already begun to place his increasing interest in politics above his film career. The Lost Weekend won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1945.
Reagan appeared in more than 50 films. He entered the US Army in 1942, during World War II. He was disqualified from combat duty due to poor eyesight. Instead, he spent most of the wartime in Hollywood, where he helped making films. He was discharged in 1945 as a captain.
Political Debut: The SAG years
On December 12, 1945, Reagan took his first step into politics when he gave a speech at a mass meeting at Hollywood Legion Stadium, which was sponsored by the Hollywood Independent Citizens Committee of Arts, Sciences and Professions. The committee had originally been formed by a large segment of the film community who supported Franklin Delano Roosevelt and saw the organization as an instrument to extend their support off the Roosevelt program. Reagan referred to himself as a ‘hemophiliac liberal’. He believed deeply and sincerely in equality of race, religion and sex. He strongly felt that fortunate men must contribute to the care and support of the more unfortunate.
Wyman had been an active member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for several years before her marriage to Reagan. Her involvement in SAG activities brought Reagan closer to her. They attended SAG open meetings and participated in other SAG activities.
The Reagans' marital problems were on the increase since his return from the service. She earnestly tried to share his newly found involvement in SAG. She agreed with some of his viewpoints, but not all. The SAG had become an obsession with Reagan as he spoke about nothing else but SAG. Wyman found it difficult to discuss with him her own concerns, which seemed like a speck against issues like the strike, violence at the studios, gangsterism in the unions or the negotiations on the producers’ contract. At home, he was either on telephone on conference calls, working with various members of the Emergency committee or writing speeches. He had very little time for the children, but Wyman hoped that once the union strike at the SAG was settled, things would return to normal.
On March 10, 1946, the Reagans attended the regular meeting of the board of directors of the SAG. Several members submitted their resignations, including the president of the SAG. A new president had to be elected and Reagan was nominated for the presidency along with two other names. The election by the board members was held right then by secret ballot. The results were declared and Reagan was the newly elected president of the Screen Actors Guild.
Parting With Jane
Wyman became pregnant at a time when Reagan was working in a film That Hagen Girl. During the shooting, he fell sick and was hospitalized for pneumonia. In her sixth month, Wyman was in labor and had to be rushed to the hospital. A premature girl was born, survived in an incubator for just 24 hours and then died. Wyman had to go through the entire ordeal all alone and she returned to the house alone, while Reagan remained hospitalized. After a month, he resumed work on the film. At home, Wyman became withdrawn and their relations began to strain. Reagan’s only escape was the SAG activities. He spoke to Nelle almost everyday and on Sundays the family gathered at his place. But Jane kept more and more to herself and everyone attributed it to postpartum depression.
Almost immediately after her baby’s death, Wyman began working on her new film Johnny Belinda. In this film she played the role of a deaf and mute girl ‘Belinda’. She had to master sign language and lip reading by the time the film was to be shot. Johnny Belinda was now as great an obsession with Wyman as the Guild was with Reagan. Both had withdrawn into their own worlds, pursuing their individual goals.
The role of the doctor who befriends Belinda was to be played by Lew Ayres. During the shooting, the two came quite close and Wyman found Ayres easy to talk to, comforting and strong. This caused Wyman to reevaluate her marriage. Finally, in the summer of 1948, Reagan moved into a different apartment and Wyman began to be seen publicly with Ayres. She had filed suit for divorce by then.
Warner Bros. had planned to release Johnny Belinda with a proper launch – major advertising blitz, publicity campaign and a glittering premiere. And finally, when Johnny Belinda was released, it was obvious that Wyman had fulfilled her ambition. Reviewers found her performance ‘surpassingly beautiful’.
On January 26, 1948, their eighth wedding anniversary, Reagan and Wyman dined together. There were rumors of their reconciliation. Two weeks later, Wyman’s attorney announced that a divorce was inevitable and a financial settlement had already been reached. On June 29, Wyman filed a suit and was granted a divorce on grounds of mental cruelty. Their house was sold and Wyman moved out with the children. Reagan was free to visit them whenever he wished as per the settlement. Reagan returned to bachelor life and began acting in many films. His co-stars were some very beautiful ladies, but he never got romantically involved with any of them. His whole life now revolved around the SAG and it was his prime focus.
His image had changed considerably. Before he became the president of the SAG, he would dress informally, but after becoming the president, he wore suits and neckties. He wore contact lenses in front of the camera, and his glasses at other times. He did not lose his charm. What remained merged with the political side of his nature, was the easy smile, the bold handshake, the eye-to-eye contact, and the ability to remember everyone’s names. He good-naturedly signed autographs even when it was an intrusion on his privacy.
His next three films were a disaster at the box-office, while Wyman won the Oscar for Best Actresses for her role in Johnny Belinda. And on July 16, 1948, both were officially divorced.
Reagan started indulging extensively in the activities of the SAG and his interest in world politics grew. Once a friend jokingly told him : "You should run for the Presidency." To which he replied : "Yes". His political interest had always been national and not regional. He concentrated part on Hollywood and the industry and the rest on Washington and the world.
Nancy Davis
Nancy came to Hollywood in March 1949 to give a screen test. She possessed neither spectacular talent nor was a great beauty. She had appeared in small forgettable roles in some insignificant films and a few Broadway shows. The screen test was not so bad. When a producer at the studio saw the test, he thought that Nancy showed enough talent and signed her for a term contract. He thought that Nancy had a bright look, a quality that could be put to good use in more intellectual films, he hoped to make for the studio. She was cast first in a minor role in East Side, West Side. In the next film The Doctor and The Girl, she was given a larger supporting role.
Nancy met Ronald at a Hollywood party. Later, she called on Reagan at the SAG and had dinner together. They started seeing each other regularly. Reagan once also took Nancy to meet Nelle. Nancy was a lively, attractive and an intelligent companion. Unlike Jane Wyman, Nancy was vitally interested in politics and she paid heed to Reagan’s retelling of his day-to-day conflicts at the SAG. She never complained when he chose Guild business over a date with Nancy. As the years went by, Reagan’s relationship with Nancy had evolved into a more serious commitment.
Despite the problems and disappointments she was experiencing in her own acting career, Nancy was always cheerful, concerned and supportive. She was also sympathetic to his problems at the SAG. Reagan left the Warner Bros. on January 28, 1952. He had been with them for 15 consecutive years. His last movie with the Warner Bros. was The Winning Team.
In February 1952, Reagan called up at Nancy’s place. He sought her father’s permission to get married to her. On February 24, an official announcement was made in the press and eight days later on March 4, 1952, they exchanged vows. Eight weeks after the wedding, the Reagans proudly announced that they were expecting a baby. Patricia Ann (Patti) Reagan was born on October 22, 1952. Nancy had a difficult predelivery. After five weeks of Patti’s birth Nancy started working. In 1952, Reagan stepped down from the post of SAG president. Reagan signed a contract with the Universal Studios and appeared in many films including Law And Order (1953).
He concentrated on his films. In 1957, Reagan and Nancy were offered a film together. They appeared together for the first time on screen, in a war film Hell Cats Of The Navy. Nancy was again pregnant. And their second child, Ronald Prescott Reagan, was born on May 21, 1958. Reagan was a happy man then and his personal life was of the sort he had always looked forward to. Simultaneously his career in television had provided him reasonable financial security. Nancy was at the center of his life, and in October 1959, he again ran for the presidency of SAG and got elected. A lot of tension prevailed between the SAG unions. On July 9, 1960, Reagan not only stepped down from the presidency, but he and Nancy both resigned from the board of directors.
Political Career
Reagan’s political opinions were growing more conservative. After initially supporting Democratic senatorial candidate Helen Douglas in 1950, he switched his allegiance to Republican candidate Richard Nixon midway through the campaign. He supported Republican Dwight Eisenhower at the presidential elections of 1952 and 1956, and in 1960, he delivered about 200 speeches in support of Nixon’s campaign for presidency against Democrat John F Kennedy. Reagan officially changed his party affiliation to Republican Party in 1962.
Reagan campaigned actively for Nixon in his run up for the office of the Governor of California in 1962. Reagan serving as a co-chairman of California Republicans for Goldwater supported the presidential candidate of conservative Republican Barry Goldwater in 1964. In the last week of the campaign, Reagan delivered a 30-minute nationally televised address, ‘A Time for Choosing’. Reagan’s speech, catapulated him into the national political stage and made him an instant hero of the Republican right.
The Governor Of California
Reagan announced his candidacy for the office of the governor of California in 1966. Reagan won the election by nearly one million votes. During his two terms as the governor (1966-1974), Reagan erased a substantial budget deficit inherited from his predecessor, and instituted reforms in the state’s welfare programs.
Reagan bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1968, finishing third behind Nixon and former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller. During his remaining years as a governor, he made plans for a more serious run at the presidency, expecting that his chance would come in 1976, at the anticipated end of Nixon’s second term. But Nixon’s resignation in 1974, due to Watergate Scandal brought Vice President Gerald Ford into the Oval Office. Unwilling to wait another eight years, Reagan challenged Ford with a blistering critique of his policies, but unfortunately lost the nomination by mere 60 votes.
Ronald Reagan’s eight years as governor of California brought home to the fore, the difference between words he had spoken over the years and what could actually be accomplished once in office. Reagan then concentrated on four major goals during his gubernatorial years, and succeeded in making an impact on all fours. The four touchstones of his administration were taxes, reduction in government spending, welfare reform and higher education.
On His Way To The White House
With the defeat of President Ford by Jimmy Carter in 1976, Ronald Reagan began his campaign for the 1980 Republican presidential nomination. He established a political action committee that collected and contributed more than $600,000 for Republican candidates at all levels during the 1978, off-year elections. Reagan’s efforts served to create a national network of loyal partisans, a group he used as a base for his 1980 campaign. Reagan won the New Hampshire primary against George Bush. Although Bush won the Pennsylvania primary in April and the Michigan primary in May, Reagan was nominated at the Republican National convention in Detroit.
In the 1980 presidential campaign, Reagan attempted to focus on President Carter’s economic policies that had resulted in 12 per cent inflation and rendered 8 million people unemployed. Carter, on the other hand, tried to paint a portrait of Reagan as being ‘trigger happy’ and likely to get the United States into war. Although Reagan began the campaign with a 15 per cent lead in the public-opinion polls, Carter had some success in narrowing the lead. But the outcome was that Reagan defeated Carter by a wide margin. Thus, at the age of 69, Reagan became the 40th President of the United States.
The Presidentship
After becoming the president, his first major domestic programs dealt with the economy. The president quickly took steps to fulfill his campaign pledges to stop rising inflation and stimulate business. In February 1981, Reagan proposed an economic plan that combined tax cuts with wide reductions in welfare and unemployment programs and in several other areas of the budget. Newspapers and magazines called his economic policies Reaganomics. A recession struck in mid-1981 and ended Reagan’s hope for rapid improvement in the economy. The rate of inflation slowed, but thousands of companies went bankrupt and unemployment soared. To reduce the deficit, the congress adopted a tax increase totaling about $ 91 billion in 1982. This was the largest tax increase in the US history. The economy began to recover rapidly in 1983. In 1984, the economy thrived and the rate of inflation remained low.
Public criticism of many of Reagan’s appointments and domestic policies began to grow steadily. The president’s major critics included blacks, women and environmentalists
. Millions of Americans, especially blacks, faced problems of unemployment. Numerous blacks charged the president’s policies as discriminatory. A number of women’s groups claimed that Reagan did not name enough women at important government posts. Reagan became the first president to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court of the United State. In 1981, he chose Sandra Day O’Connor to fill a vacancy on the court thus assuaging their feelings to an extent.
An assassination bid on Reagan occurred in March 1981, in Washington, DC. Reagan was shot in the chest, but surgeons removed the bullet and he made a full recovery. Three other people were also shot. John W Hinckley, Jr., of Evergreen, Colorado, was charged and in 1982, a jury declared that Hinckley was insane at the time of the attempt and therefore, found him not guilty, and was consigned to a mental institution.
The 1984 Elections
Reagan and Bush easily won renomination at the 1984 Republican National Convention in Dallas, Texas. The Democrats nominated former Vice President Walter F Mondale for president and Geraldine Ferraro of New York for Vice President. In the campaign, Reagan stressed the nation’s economic growth, the decline in unemployment, and the low rate of inflation. Mondale charged that Reagan’s economic policies had greatly favored the wealthy and that Reagan’s foreign policies had increased tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. At the elections, Reagan and Bush won with a landslide victory.
Reagan's 2nd Term As The President
The President’s health became a national concern early in his second term. A cancerous tumor was found is Reagan’s colon, and a surgical team removed the tumor on July 13, 1985. Reagan made a rapid recovery post operation.
Ending The Cold War
Reagan met Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev several times during his second term. At Geneva, Switzerland, in 1985, the first meet between the two leaders led to agreements for educational, scientific and cultural exchanges. The two leaders met again in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 1986. In 1987, Gorbachev visited the United States. During the visit, he and Reagan signed a treaty to eliminate all US and Soviet ground launched nuclear missiles. The world finally heaved a sigh of relief as the two superpowers began and finally signed the ICBM treaty. The treaty took effect in 1988. The treaty was an honest effort to bring an end to the cold war that lasted over quarter century.
The Iran - Contra Affair
Reagan and his administration lost prestige because of the sale of the US weapons to Iran and use of the profits to help Nicaraguan rebels, known as contras. Both activities were clandestine operations but leaked in the press in November 1986. The arms sales were chiefly designed to win the freedom of Americans who were held hostage by Iran backed Lebanese terrorists. Reagan supported the arms sales. At the time, however, the United States had a policy that prohibited the sale of weapons to Iran and other nations considered to support terrorism. The arms sales led to the release of three hostages. The transfer of funds to the contras took place in the mid-1980s. Congress banned military aid to the contras during that period. Reagan denied knowledge of any information about the fund diversion. Both the actions, fund diversion and the arms sales had been carried out by the National Security Council (NSC), a White House advisory agency. Later in 1987, Reagan was strongly criticized in a joint report of the committees investigating the affair.
Persian Gulf Conflicts
In 1987, Iran laid mines to disrupt shipping activity in the Persian Gulf and fired on United States vessels and helicopters there. Reagan ordered military responses to these actions and halted US – Iranian trade. In May 1987, two missiles from an Iraqi warplane hit the USS Stark, a warship that was patrolling the Gulf. Thirty-seven American crewmembers were killed. Iraqi officials claimed that the attack was a mistake.
The First Lady - making her mark
Nancy came into the White House determined to be herself and to make life as wonderful and as elegant as possible for the president. Like Jacqueline Kennedy, she wanted to transform the White House into the showcase of the nation. She wanted the President and the First Lady to be elegant symbols of what democracy could present to the world. Nancy largely planned Reagan’s inaugural festivities and they were the most extravagant in American history. She adopted several high-profile charitable causes championing the Foster Grandparents Program and a campaign to end drug abuse among young people. Nancy co-authored a book ‘To Love a Child’ that became a best seller. By January 1985, Nancy’s popularity had climbed from the low 40 per cent to 71 per cent attaining the highest ever standing for any First Lady in history of popularity polls.
The Family
Reagan’s oldest daughter Maureen was deeply involved in a private export organization. In 1982, Maureen ran in the California primaries for US Senate. She lost the race but by 1986, Maureen had become a prominent leader of Republican women and worked as a special consultant to the Republican National Committee.
Michael Reagan, the president’s adopted son worked as a salesman for some time and also tried his hand at acting and doubled as a radio broadcaster.
Nancy and Ronald’s daughter Patti, had a difficult relationship with her parents even before the White House years. She tried college, but quickly dropped out to act in several TV series. In 1985, Patti published a novel about the career of a successful politician who was elected Governor of California and then became the President of the United States. The fictional president and his wife are depicted as driven by ambition to the point where they consider their children as political liabilities. Also in 1990, Patti caused great commotion by appearing nude in a series of pictures featured in ‘Playboy’ magazine.
Ron, the youngest son, had entered Yale after graduation from high school but dropped out after one year. For most part, Ronald Reagan seemed not to dwell too much on the unconventional behavior of his children. He loved all four of them in a rather diffident manner.
The Declining Health
In 1994, Reagan revealed that he was suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. The disease causes an increasing loss of memory and besides damaging other mental processes. Nancy assumed full management of his needs after Alzheimer struck him. Her tender devotion and care for him, including arranging special occasions to keep his spirits up has had the Reagans and their four children come together again as a family.
RONALD REAGAN
Most people sleep through life,
A few dare to dream,
Others walk when they can run,
A handful learn to fly.
And they are one in a million.....Ronald Reagan was one of them.
He was the oldest man ever elected to the US Presidency, who brought a vision and vigor to the office that revitalized the spirit of the world’s most powerful nation.
Reagan’s ascension from humble roots to his triumphs in the White House is one of the most improbable and inspiring life stories of the 20th century. His journey from childhood to his careers as a lifeguard, a sports broadcaster, movie star, TV appearances, President of the Screen Actors’ Guild, Governor of California and finally in his greatest role : the seemingly simple, affable president who restored the country’s faith in itself, was indeed remarkable. One of the most controversial presidents in American history, he changed the nation more radically than any chief executive since Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan left his mark on the nation and also on the world – a mark as yet unaltered by time and fate.
February 6,1911 Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, the second of the two sons to Jack and Nelle Reagan.
1920 After years of moving from town to town, the Reagan family settled in Dixon, Illinois.
September 21, 1922 Ronald was baptized at his mother’s Disciples of Church.
1924 Ronald entered Dixton’s Northside High School.
1926 Ronald took a job as lifeguard in Lowell Park, two miles away from Dixon, on the Rock River.
August 3, 1928 "Dixon Daily Telegraph” front page headline reads: “Ronald Reagan saves drowning man.” By the time he leaves his job, after seven summers, the count of those he has saved reaches 77.
The same year, Reagan enrolled at Eureka College, a small Christian college in Illinois. Although, never a model student, Reagan was successful both as an actor and a football player.
1932 Within six weeks of graduating form Eureka, Reagan found work at WOC radio in Davenport, Iowa.
1937 Reagan became a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Officers Reserve Corps of the Cavalry.
A Warner Brothers agent discovers him and offers him a seven-year studio contract. After his first film, Love Is On The Air, Reagan starred in more than 50 films.
January 26, 1940 Reagan married actress Jane Wyman. Reagan starred as Notre Dame football legend George Gipp in Knute Rockne – All American. He earned the nickname ‘the Gipper’ from that role.
January 1941 Death of Reagan’s father.
January 4, 1941 Birth of daughter Maureen.
July 1941 Appointed to Screen Actors Guild’s (SAG) board. Joined the same in 1937.
December 1941 With the US at war, Reagan drafted into the army. Assigned to the Motion Picture Army Unit in Culver City to make training and propaganda films.
January 1, 1942 King’s Row screened. Reagan’s performance as Drake McHugh was the highlight of his film career.
March, 1945 Michel Edward Reagan adopted.
June 26, 1947 First wife Wyman delivered a baby girl who passed away the next day.
June 6, 1948 Reagan and Wyman divorced.
1950 Reagan campaigned in support of California Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas, in her race against Richard Nixon for the US Senate.
March 4, 1952 Married to Nancy Davis, an actress.
October 22 Daughter Patricia (Patti) was born. Reagan led a movement of Democrats for Eisenhower during both of Eisenhower’s presidential campaigns.
1956. Reagan’s movie career faltered. Financially struck, Reagan was forced to take a job of an emcee in Vegas.
May 28, 1958 Son Ronald Prescott (Ron) was born.
1959 During his last term as president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan fought for, and achieved, better benefits and working conditions for actors.
1960 Reagan championed for Nixon’s candidacy for Presidency, delivering more than 200 speeches in his support.
1962 Reagan switched his political affiliation to the Republican Party.
Reagan’s mother died.
1964 Reagan makes his final film appearance in The Killers.
October 27, 1964 As co-chairman of California Republicans for Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona for President, Reagan gives a speech : “A Time for Choosing” which is an instant success.
January 1, 1966 Reagan announced his candidacy for Governor of California.
November 8 Reagan is elected by almost one million votes.
May 2, 1968 Reagan draft movement for the 1968 presidential nomination takes off.
August 5, 1968 Reagan announced his candidacy for presidential nomination at the Miami Republican Convention.
January, 1969 Richard Nixon inaugurated for his first term as President.
1970 Reagan wins re-election as governor.
May 1, 1973 Reagan defends President Richard Nixon is the midst of Watergate.
November 20, 1975 Reagan opens his presidential campaign. Faced a tough battle against Gerald Ford, who is backed by the Republican Party.
March 3, 1976 Polls show President Ford in the lead. Reagan is second.
March 17 The National Republican Conference of Mayors calls on Reagan to withdraw.
March 20 Republican Mayors called on Reagan to withdraw.
November Democrat Jimmy Carter defeats Ford to become President.
February 26, 1980 Reagan wins New Hampshire primary.
July 17 Reagan accepted Republican nomination for President.
October 29 Reagan leads by 5½ points at the galleys.
November 4 Reagan beat Carter winning 44 states in general election, and Republicans hold control of the Senate for the first time since 1964.
January 20, 1981 Reagan is sworn in as the 40th President of the United States.
March 30 Reagan shot by John Hinckley, Jr. outside a Washington hotel.
June 25 Congress praised Reagan’s budget bill, known as ‘Graham – Latta II’.
July 29 Congress passed Reagan’s tax bill.
September Reagan appointed the first female Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’ Connor.
July 4, 1983 Soviet Premier Yuri Andropov’s letter to Reagan suggests elimination of a nuclear threat.
December, 1983 ‘Time’ magazine chose Andropov and Reagan as ‘Men of the Year’.
July 19, 1984 Walter Mondale accepted the presidential nomination at the Democratic convention.
November 4 Reagan defeated Mondale.
January 20, 1985 Reagan sworn in for a second term. At 73 years of age, he was the oldest President ever to be sworn in.
July 13 Reagan undergoes a cancer surgery on large intestine.
November 16 Reagan arrived in Geneva for summit with Mikhail Gorbachev.
November 19 Geneva Summit held.
January 15, 1986 Reagan signed legislation making Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a national holiday, to be celebrated on the third Monday of January.
January 17 Reagan underwent surgery for polyps on his colon.
August 27 Reagan signed an anti-terrorism law that bans arms sales to nations that support terrorism.
October 11 Reykjavik Summit opened. The summit turned out to be failure.
1987 Underwent prostate surgery.
December 7 Gorbachev arrives in Washington, DC for a summit.
December 8 Washington summit opens. Gorbachev and Reagan sign the ICBM Treaty.
May 29, 1988 Reagan visited Moscow for a summit.
November 8 Vice President George Bush defeats Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis to become the 41st President of the United States.
January 20, 1989 George Bush inaugurated; Ronald and Nancy fly to California. Reagan leaves office with the highest approval rating of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.
November The Berlin Wall, separating East Germany from West Germany is opened. Reagan awarded honorary knighthood (Knights Grand Cross of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath) by Queen Elizabeth II. He also published his life story; “An American Life.”
November 4, 1991 The Reagan Library and Museum located in Simi Valley, California is dedicated to him. It is the only presidential library is California and only one among ten in the country.
1993 Diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease.
November 5, 1994 Reagan addressed a letter to the American people in which he disclosed that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
February 4, 2000 Reagan celebrated his 89th birthday. The press reported that he was unable to recognize anyone except Nancy.
• America is too great for small dreams.
• Our constitution is to be celebrated not for being old, but for being young.
• Its true, hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?
• History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.
• The government is like a baby’s alimentary canal, with a healthy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
• How do you tell a Communist ? Well, it’s someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist ? It’s someone who understands Marx and Lenin.
• Excellence does not begin in Washington.
• Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.
• Regimes planted by bayonets do not take root.
• I favor the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and it must be enforced at gun point if necessary.
• The very key to our success has been our ability, foremost among nations, to preserve our lasting values by making change work for us rather than against us.
• Government always finds a need for whatever money it gets.
• Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
• Putting people first has always been America’s secret weapon. It’s the way we’ve kept the spirit of our revolutions alive – a spirit that drives us to dream and dare, and take great risks for a greater good.
• No arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.
• We built it, we paid for it, it’s ours, and we’re going to keep it.(On Panama Canal)
• Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born.
• Facts are stupid things.
• The taxpayer – that’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take a civil-service exam.
• You can tell a lot about a fellow’s character by the way he eats his jelly beans.
• If you’ve seen one redwood, you’ve seen them all.
• We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow.
• We are a nation that has a government – not the other way around. And this makes us special among the nations of the Earth.
• If we look to the answer as to why, for so many years, we achieved so much, prospered as no other people on Earth, it was because here, in this land, we unleashed the energy and individual genius of man to a greater extent than has ever been done before.
