Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American actor and politician. He was the 40th President of the United States (1981–89), and served as the 33rd Governor of California (1967–75) prior to his presidency. Born and raised in small towns in Illinois, Reagan graduated from Eureka College and then worked as a radio broadcaster. In 1937 he moved to Hollywood, where he began a career as an actor, first in films and later in television. Reagan served as President of the Screen Actors Guild and later as a spokesman for General Electric (G.E.); his start in politics occurred during his work for G.E. Originally, he was a member of the Democratic Party, but due to the parties shifting platforms during the 1950s, he switched to the Republican Party in 1962. He was re-elected in a landslide in 1984, proclaiming that it was Morning in America. His second term was primarily marked by foreign matters, such as the ending of the Cold War, the 1986 bombing of Libya, and the revelation of the Iran–Contra affair. Publicly describing the Soviet Union as an evil empire, he supported anti-communist movements worldwide and spent his first term forgoing the strategy of détente in favor of rollback by escalating an arms race with the USSR. Reagan subsequently negotiated with Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, culminating in the INF Treaty and the decrease of both countries nuclear arsenals. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet Union occurred soon afterward. Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th US President and Actor, was born Feb 6, 1911 in Tampico IL. He died June 5, 2004 of pneumonia after a long bout with Alzheimers. He served for 2 terms, from 1981 to 1989. Reagan is a conservative icon, held high for his win in the Cold War
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 00:52:41 +0000
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