Ronald Wilson Reagan (/ˈrɒnəld ˈwɪlsən ˈreɪɡən/; February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American actor and politician who was the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975. Reagan was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, from 1947 to 1952 and again from 1959 to 1960. Reagan was a movie, television and radio actor before he became a politician.
Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. Reagan had a successful career in Hollywood. He was in fifty-three movies. He married actress Jane Wyman in 1940. They had three children. They divorced in 1949. Reagan then married Nancy Davis in 1952. They had two children. Their marriage lasted until Reagan died in 2004.
Before winning his presidential election in 1980, Reagan ran for president two times in 1968 and in 1976. He was re-elected in 1984 at the age of 73, making him the oldest person elected President of the United States at the time. Reagan is known as the "Great Communicator" because he was a good public speaker. He was also known as the "Teflon president" because any criticism or scandals against him never stuck or affected his popularity. Reagan still remains one of the most popular presidents in American history because of his optimism for the country and his humor. Reagan was the first president of the United States to have been divorced.
Reagan was inaugurated in January 1981. As president, Reagan helped create a new political and economic idea. He created the supply-side economic policies. It was later called Reaganomics. Reagan's economic policy lowered tax rates. It created an economic growth and lowered inflation. In his first term he also barely survived an assassination attempt. Reagan also declared a War on Drugs. Reagan ordered an invasion of Grenada to end a Communist coup.
He was re-elected in a landslide victory in 1984. During his second term, Reagan worked on ending the Cold War. He also ordered the 1986 bombing of Libya. In 1987, the Reagan administration faced a political scandal. It was the Iran–Contra affair. Reagan worked with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev during his second term. This led to the signing of the INF Treaty. It lowered the number of nuclear weapons in the United States and the Soviet Union. Reagan left office in January 1989.
Reagan was originally a Democrat. In 1962 he changed to the Republican party. He is ranked high in presidential opinion polls.
Reagan died on June 5, 2004 at his Bel Air, Los Angeles home from pneumonia after a ten-year battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 93 years old.