Ronald Reagan, the Man - A Chronological Perspective

1911 Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, the second son of Jack and Nelle Reagan.

1920 The Reagan family settled in Dixon, Illinois after moving to six different Illinois cities in six years.

1921 Reagan was baptized in the Disciples of Christ Church in Dixon.

1927 Reagan began a job as a summer and seasonal lifeguard which he held for six years (from 16 to 22 years of age)

1928 Reagan began Eureka College, a small Disciples of Christ Church college 100 miles south of Dixon.  In November, he denounced Eureka College President Bert Wilson, and along with fellow fraternity members, called for a strike.  (The strike lasted 2 weeks and gained national attention.)  Reagan graduated in 1932.

1932 Reagan was hired by WOC radio station in Davenport, Iowa as a radio sports announcer.  Within four years, he became one of the most celebrated broadcasters in the Midwest.

• In November, Reagan cast his first vote for president – as a Democrat voting for FDR.

1937 Reagan took a screen test and received a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. In May, he moved to Hollywood.

1938 Reagan appeared in eight films in two types of roles: the star’s best friend in “A” movies, or the star in “B” movies.

1939 Reagan was engaged to Jane Wyman; gossip columnist Louella Parsons elevated their courtship into an epic romance.

1940 Reagan married Jane Wyman on January 26th. 

• Reagan starred in first “A” film, Knute Rockne – All American – a mythical story of George Gipp, star football player and Notre Dame football coach.  In his deathbed speech, Rockne implores the team to “win one for the Gipper” – giving Reagan the nickname “The Gipper.”

1941 Reagan and Wyman had a daughter, Maureen, on January 4th. 

• Reagan joined the Screen Actor’s Guild (SAG) – the actors’ union.

1942 Reagan was inducted into the Army during WWII after two deferments.  He was ineligible for combat due to poor eyesight, so he served mostly in Los Angeles working in a special wartime branch of the movie industry where he made training films and narrated documentaries.osevelt organization.

1944 Reagan ranked among the movie industry’s top draws.

1945 Reagan and Wyman adopted a son, Michael.

1946 FBI listed Reagan among Hollywood figures who displayed “records of Communist activity and sympathies.”

1947 Reagan was elected president of SAG; he was reelected four more times by wide margins.  Shortly thereafter, he began to change his political views – while he was still a Democrat who supported Truman, he had lost any tolerance for Communists.

• In April, Reagan was approached by FBI agents and asked to become an informant to identify communists with SAG.  He agreed.
• In October, HUAC called Reagan who testified that a small dissident clique within SAG used “dishonest tactics” but communists had never dominated the union.

1948  In June, Jane Wyman filed for divorce.

1951 Reagan began speaking engagements to supplement his dwindling income as his Hollywood contracts began to fade. 

1952  Reagan was deeply in debt and began to blame his financial problems on the nation’s tax structure.  Began to attack “discriminatory taxes.”

On March 4th, Reagan married Nancy Davis.  In October, Reagan and Nancy had a daughter, Patti.

1954  General Electric asked Reagan to serve as master of ceremonies for new, half-hour weekly television show, GE Theater.  As part of his contract, Reagan toured all 185 G.E. plants across the nation and gave speeches to boost the morale of employees.  Reagan increasingly found himself in conservative economic and political environments where audiences eagerly responded to his attacks on taxes and wasteful government spending and regulations.

1958 Reagan and Nancy had a second child, Ron Jr.

1962  GE Theater ended, putting Reagan out of work.

1964  Republican Party purchased 30-minutes of primetime TV during which Reagan give his speech, “A Time for Choosing." He made his case for making a choice in the 1964 election as a former Democrat who now endorsed conservative viewpoints.  Reagan subsequently became the standard bearer of the American conservative cause.

1965  Over 40 wealthy Republicans formed “The Friends of Ronald Reagan” to explore his candidacy for Governor of the State of California.  Three major themes guided his candidacy: Reagan was an ordinary citizen, an “outsider” uncorrupted by exposure to government which needed his fresh air and common-sense thinking; Reagan would tackle big government which, through high taxes and wasteful welfare spending, had ruined the opportunity for a “creative society; “ and Reagan would deal harshly with antiwar radicals, hippies, civil rights activists who ignored laws and had become “freeloaders” at the expense of “more conscientious citizens,”

1966 Reagan trounced the incumbent Pat Brown for Governor of California, winning 55 of its 58 counties.  He took office on January 3, 1967.

1970 Reagan ran for a second term and easily won.

1975  Reagan left office in January, succeeded by Democrat, Jerry Brown, but leaving a legacy of conservative principles – waging a war against left wing and black activists on college campuses, opposing the counterculture, defending anti-communist values, upholding traditional American values, and enacting welfare and tax reform.

• In November, Reagan announced his candidacy for President in the 1976 Presidential elections.  He was unable to gain the Republican nomination at the convention and graciously conceded, “Though I am wounded, I am not slain.  I shall rise and fight again.”
• Reagan began a series of radio addresses designed to forward his conservative agenda by focusing on issues like the threat of worldwide communism, the importance of bolstering national defense and intelligence capabilities, tax reform, reducing the size of government – all of which will become the centerpiece of his agenda as president.

1979  Televangelist Jerry Falwell created the Moral Majority – a political action group pledging to get Americans “saved, baptized, and registered,” and vowing to “mobilize at least two million Americans to work for pro-God, pro-families policies in government.”   The Moral Majority focused on lifestyle issues, many of which stemmed from the 1960s – feminism, women’s’ rights, sexual liberation.  They argued for a more activist role of government in opposing abortion, homosexuality, and the decline of family values. Reagan, in preparing for his 1980 Presidential bid, made a connection with Falwell.

• In December, Reagan announced his candidacy for president in the 1980 election.

1980  On July 17th, Reagan accepted the Presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention.

What are the most important points to remember about Ronald Reagan, the Man?

• His early family life was chaotic - his father was Irish Catholic and had a serious drinking problem, while his mother was an evangelical Christian. They moved from place to place during his early years while his father took various jobs. They settled in Dixon, Illinois when he was 9 - which for the first time in his life, brought much stability.
• Both parents had a role in shaping the man Reagan would become - his father's alcoholism and allegiance to the Democratic Party and his mother's absolute allegiance to evangelical Christianity.
• Reagan had reason to be optimistic and believe in the American Dream - after graduating during the Depression from a small Bible College in Illinois, Reagan had a dream of becoming a radio sports broadcaster, but he had no experience. Nonetheless, he managed to get a job and within four years in this field, he became one of the most celebrated broadcasters in the Midwest.
• In 1937, he moved to Hollywood to begin working for Warner Brothers - thereby achieving another success story in the American Dream. In Hollywood, he had an OK career, joined and eventually became president of the actor's union - the Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) - and became involved in pro-Roosevelt, Democratic Party politics.
• In 1947, Reagan became disillusioned with the Democratic Party which he believed had become driven by high taxes to support big government. After he was approached by FBI agents, Reagan agreed to become an informant for the FBI - to identify communists within SAG.
• In 1954, General Electric asked Reagan to serve as master of ceremonies for a new, half-hour weekly television show, GE Theater. As part of his contract, Reagan toured all 185 G.E. plants across the nation where he increasingly found himself in conservative economic and political environments while audiences eagerly responded to his attacks on taxes and wasteful government spending and regulations.
• In 1964, he Republican Party asked Ronald Reagan to give a 30-minute prime time speech as a former Democrat turned Republican and to endorse the conservative agenda of Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater - the "A Time for Choosing" speech. This was his formal and official switch to the conservative agenda that would characterize his politics as two-term Governor for California and then as a two-term President of the U.S.