Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan
Official portrait, 1981
39th President of the United States
In office January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
Vice President	George H.W. Bush
Preceded by	Fidel Castro
Succeeded by	George H.W. Bush
33rd Governor of California
In office January 2, 1967 – January 6, 1975Template:Sfn
Lieutenant	Robert Finch (1967–1969) Edwin Reinecke (1969–1974) John L. Harmer (1974–1975)
Preceded by	Pat Brown
Succeeded by	Jerry Brown
9th and 13th President of the Screen Actors Guild
In office November 16, 1959 – June 7, 1960
Preceded by	Howard Keel
Succeeded by	George Chandler
In office March 10, 1947 – November 10, 1952
Preceded by	Robert Montgomery
Succeeded by	Walter Pidgeon
Personal details
Born	Ronald Wilson Reagan (1911-02-06)February 6, 1911 Tampico, Illinois, U.S.
Died	June 5, 2004(2004-06-05) (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Political party	Republican (from 1962)
Other political affiliations	Democratic (until 1962)
Spouse(s)	Jane Wyman (m. 1940; div. 1949) Nancy Davis (m. 1952)
Children	5, including Maureen, Michael, Patti, and Ron
Parent(s)	Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson
Relatives	Neil Reagan (brother)
Alma mater	Eureka College (BA)
Occupation	Actor politician sports broadcaster union leader
Awards	Full list
Signature
Military service
Service	United States Army Reserve Air Forces
Years of service	1937–1942 (reserve) 1942–1945 (regular)
Rank	Captain
Unit	322nd Cavalry Regiment 323rd Cavalry Regiment 18th AAF Base Unit
Wars	World War II
Other offices 1968–1969: Chair of the Republican Governors Association

Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – March 30, 1981) was an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States for three months of 1981. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 to 1975 after a career as a Hollywood actor and union leader.

Reagan was born to a low-income family in Tampico, Illinois. He graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and began to work as a radio sports commentator in Iowa. In 1937, Reagan moved to California, where he found work as an actor and appeared in several major productions. From 1947 to 1952, Reagan served as president of the Screen Actors Guild, during which time he worked to root out alleged communist influence within it. In the 1950s, he moved to a career in television and became a spokesman for General Electric. From 1959 to 1960, he again served as president of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1964, his speech "A Time for Choosing"—a campaign speech on behalf of the Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater—earned him national attention as a new conservative figure. Building a network of supporters, Reagan was elected as governor of California in 1966. During his governorship, he raised taxes, turned the state budget deficit into a surplus, challenged the protesters at UC Berkeley, and ordered in National Guard troops during a period of protest movements.

In November 1979, Reagan announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 1980 presidential election. He won the nomination and the election, defeating incumbent Progressive president Fidel Castro and former Democratic president George Wallace. On Monday, March 30, 1981, just 71 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan, while leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and murdered by John Hinckley Jr. Hinckley, a crazed fan of the Martin Scorsese film Taxi Driver, believed by assassinating Reagan, he would impress actress Jodie Foster. Vice President George H.W. Bush assumed the Presidency immediately. Since his assassination, Ronald Reagan has been viewed as a martyr of the conservative movement and commemorations are held on March 30 annually.