Ronald Wilson Reagan

Reagan, Ronald Wilson (1911– ), 40th president of the United States. Reagan's administration strengthened the U.S. military presence in Europe, increased support for anti-Communist forces in Central America, and signed a nuclear-arms-reduction treaty with the Soviet Union. It also made large cuts in federal income taxes while sharply reducing spending on domestic programs. Although Reagan's two terms brought lower unemployment and a temporarily stronger economy, social programs suffered and the federal budget deficit grew larger than ever in U.S. history.

Early life

Reagan attended Eureka (Ill.) College. After graduating in 1932, he worked as a radio sports announcer in Iowa. In 1937, he began a successful new career as a film actor. In 1940, he married actress Jane Wyman. They had one child and adopted another, but divorced in 1948. During World War II, Reagan served in the Army Air Forces (1942–45), making training films. He then returned to acting and served as president of the Screen Actors Guild (1947–52; 1959). In 1952, he married actress Nancy Davis; they had two children.

Political career

Once a liberal Democrat, Reagan became a conservative Republican. He was elected governor of California in 1966 and reelected in 1970. In 1976, he ran for the Republican presidential nomination, but lost. In 1980, Reagan did get the nomination. He and running mate George H.W. Bush won a landslide victory over the Democratic incumbents, President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale.

President

Reagan immediately called for tax cuts combined with reductions in social and other domestic programs. Congress passed most of the proposed cuts. The business failures and higher unemployment of a recession, coupled with increased military spending, made the federal budget deficit soar and the economy weaken. Reagan's administration met with rising public criticism, particularly from blacks, women, and environmental groups. By 1984, however, the economy seemed to recover and Reagan and Bush were reelected in another landslide, defeating Democratic candidates Walter Mondale and Geraldine Ferraro. In Reagan's second term, the economy took another beating: a stock-market crash in October 1987.

Reagan faced a number of foreign-relations crises. In 1983, he sent U.S. troops to invade Grenada and to join a multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon. In Central America, Reagan's administration supported anti-Communist forces in El Salvador and the “contras” opposing Nicaragua's government. Over the course of Reagan's two terms, U.S.-Soviet relations worsened, then slowly improved. Reagan met several times with Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet leader, and they signed a nuclear-arms-reduction treaty in 1987.

Dubbed “the Teflon president” for his ability to withstand criticism and scandal, Reagan's popularity remained high throughout his presidency. He survived a 1981 assassination attempt, as well as the Iran-contra affair, a major domestic crisis (1986–87). It was revealed that Reagan's administration had sold weapons to Iran in exchange for the release of hostages held in Lebanon (contradicting Reagan's public statements against dealing with terrorists), then used the money to illegally fund the Nicaraguan contras.

Retirement

When his second term ended in 1989, Reagan retired to California. In 1994 it was made public that Reagan suffers from Alzheimer's disease.