Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was the 40th President of the United States, serving from Jan 1981 to 1989. He was a Republican and was credited with a resurgence of American conservatism. He pursued a policy of neo-liberal economics – pursuing tax cuts, reduced government spending, and de-regulation. Towards the end of his presidency, he was involved in negotiations with Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev, which led to treaties reducing the nuclear capabilities of both countries and the ending of the Cold War. He also took an activist approach to protect US interest abroad including controversial decisions such as the bombing of Libya and the invasion of Grenada to reverse a Communist coup.

Early Life

Ronald Reagan was born 6 February 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He attended Dixon High School where he gained an interest in acting and sports. He then attended Eureka College where he was elected president of the student body.

In the 1930s, Reagan gained work as a radio presenter commenting on baseball games. He made a strong impact because of his clear presentation and engaging voice. By 1937 he had moved to Hollywood where he gained a contract with Warner Brothers. He was a prolific actor appearing in 19 films by the end of 1939. Reagan later commented that with many films he worked, on directors were keen to get the film finished as quickly as possible.

In 1942 he starred in ‘Kings Row’ – a film about a double amputee. His performance received critical acclaim and it made him quite famous as a Hollywood actor. But, shortly after he was drafted into active service in the the U.S. Army. During the war, poor eyesight meant he was excluded from serving overseas. He worked in public relations and made several propaganda films and helped in the War loan drive to raise money for the war.

Reagan married for the first time in 1940, to actress Jane Wyman, having two children. Wyman later filed for divorce in 1948, not wishing to support Reagan’s political ambitions.

After the war, Reagan became president of the Screen Actors Guild. This involved representing actors in labour disputes; he also gave information to the FBI about actors with potential Communist sympathies.

It was as president of SAG that he met Nancy Reagan – ironically because Nancy had been mistakenly put on the list of ‘Communist sympathisers’. They married in 1952 and had two children – Patti and Ron.

Political career

Reagan began his political career as a Democrat. He supported Harry Truman in the 1948 election. However, his wife Nancy was a Republican, and in the 1950s, he drifted towards the Republican party. He supported the Presidential campaigns of Eisenhower (’52 and ’56) and Richard Nixon (1960)

In 1962, he formally joined the Republican party, stating that he didn’t leave the Democrat party, but the party left him.

Conservative beliefs

His political profile within the Republican movement rose sharply in 1964, when delivering a speech “Time for Choosing” for Presidential hopeful Barry Goldwater. Reagan stressed his philosophy which would characterise his political views. Reagan believed that government needed to be limited to prevent intrusion into individual liberties. Reagan was espousing a conservatism that would become popular in America. He was a member of the National Rifle Association and in the 1960s opposed some civil rights legislation on the grounds that people should have the freedom to discriminate in housing, if they wanted to. However, he claimed it was not from racist motives and when growing up in the segregated south had offered accommodation to black people who were unable to stay at a hotel.

Ronald Reagan later paid credit to Martin Luther King for the peaceful civil rights movement of the 1960s.

More and source: http://www.biographyonline.net/politicians/american/ronald-reagan-biography.html