Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan

By: Jamie Driver

January 19, 2012

Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 16, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He went to High School in Dixon, Illinois. He played football and baseball and swam. Ronald also acted in school plays and served as president of his senior class. Reagan was an ocean life guard and saved 77 people. Reagan went to Eureka College in Eureka, Illinois. One time he gave a speech and he thought it was exhilarating.

Reagan radio announced college football games in Iowa. He broadcast Chicago’s two baseball teams the Cubs and White Soxs. He wrote about sports in a local newspaper. Reagan was a movie actor. He was most famous for the movie “Knute Rocken”, when he played George Gipp. Reagan hosted a show called General Electric Theater.

Reagan got married in January 1940 to Jane Wyman. They had two kids named Maureen and Michael. Michael was adopted. Reagan and Jane divorced in 1948. Reagan married Nancy Davis on March 4, 1952, and they had two children named Patti and Ron.

On November 8, 1966 the California voters elected Ronald Reagan as the state’s 33rd Governor. He was Governor from 1967 - 1975. Reagan ran for President in 1968 and 1976 but lost. He ran for President again and served as our 40th President from 1981 - 1989.

Reagan served two terms as President. He had three big accomplishments. They were reducing taxes, reducing government spending, and ending the cold war. On March 30, 1981 Reagan gave a speech at a hotel. He was walking to his car and he was shot by John Hinckley. When he was at the hospital the bullet was in his lungs. The surgery took almost three hours. Reagan joked, "I hope you are all Republicans." A doctor said, "Today, Mr. President, we are all Republicans." On November 6,1984 Reagan scored the largest President victory in U.S. history. On June 12, 1987, Reagan went to Germany and told Gorbachev to “Tear down this wall!” After he was President they tore down the Berlin Wall.

The doctors found out that he had Alzheimer's Disease after he was President. Nancy had been battling with Cancer. In 2000 Reagan’s Alzheimer’s had gotten worse. On June 5, 2004, Reagan died at home in Bel Air, California. They honored his funeral in D.C..

Reagan liked to write and loved horses. I like Reagan because he was a good President. Reagan was a great President for the U.S. because he preserved traditional American values.

Biographical Resource: “Ronald Regan” By: Michael Burgan