Ronald Regan :: essays research papers

Reagan, Ronald Wilson (1911- ), 40th president of the United States (1981-1989) Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois. In a family of 3 boys he was the youngest. His father was a traveling shoe salesman. Reagan's mother taught Reagan how to read at an early age, which heavily influenced him positively. Most of Reagan's childhood was spent in Dixon, Illinois. Reagan attended and graduated from Eureka College a small religious school around Peoria, Illinois. He majored in economics, and he was president of the student body, a player on the football team, and captain of the swimming team. He also looked toward acting, but when Reagan graduated the only available related to show business was a local radio sportscaster. In 1936 Reagan became a sportscaster for station WHO in Des Moines, Iowa. 1937 Reagan went to Hollywood and began to work as an actor he starred in more then 50 films like Knute Rockne-All American, king’s Row, and Bedtime for Bonzo. He married actress Jane Wyman and they had two children. After eight years of marriage they got divorced and Reagan remarried Nancy Davis. They had two children. Reagan's first political activities were associated with his responsibilities as a union leader. As union president, Reagan tried to remove suspected Communists from the movie industry. When the U.S. House Committee on Un-American Activities began an investigation in 1947 on the influence of Communists in the film industry, Reagan took a strong anti-Communist stand testifying before the committee. As governor or California, Reagan became one of several widely known conservative politicians who wanted to slow down government involvement in the economy and society. In 1968 Reagan’s first term as governor, he decided to run for presidency. He lost to Nixon. After completing his term as governor, Reagan decided to run for president again. This time he challenged Gerald Ford for the 1976 presidency.