- Reagan grew up in the Midwest, born in Tampico IL, and had a transient childhood, moving frequently due to his fatherâs alcoholism1.
- He worked as a lifeguard on the rock river in Dixon, IL and saved 77 people.
- In high school, he was a standout, playing football and participating in school plays.
- He was an average student and had a long-term relationship with a preacherâs daughter named Margaret, nicknamed Mugs.
- He attended a small Christian college called Eureka.
- Initially idolized FDR and had common attributes
- Found work during the depression as a radio sports announcer. At that time, baseball highlights were transmitted over the telegraph and the announcer acted as though he was watching the game live for the audience.
- During WWII he served in a media unit based out of Culver City where he made pro war/military movies
- Was an FBI informant during his time as SAG president, and remained in contact with the FBI afterwards.
- Post movie career and SAG president he began on the GE TV show the
âGeneral Electric Theaterâ. During this time he honed his skills as an
orator, giving speeches to the various GE plants across the country.
- It was also during this time that he ideologically turned right-ward. Influenced by John Birch society literature.
- Time for Choosing speech in 1964 for Barry Goldwater established Reagan as a conservative political force
- Reagan was a devoted husband (to both of his wives), and later in life observers noted that he was loving and excited to see Nancy every time they were separated.
- During his bid for California Governor in â66 he ran a campaign that pre-empted much of Nixonâs southern strategy, using racially coded words that appeared neutral to casual inspection in order to speak to the âsilent majorityâ.
- Reagan often came off callous in policy but was a âsoft touchâ in one-on-one interactions, maintaining a long term supportive relationship with constituents who wrote him asking for help.
- As Governor of California, he governed pragmatically and was much more
a centrist than his campaign would have implied. Max Boot attributes
this to Reaganâs desire to please leading to his desire to get deals
and legislation done1. During his term taxes and spending
went up, homicide and crime went up despite law and order campus
tactics. He legalized abortion in CA, brought an end to death penalty
temporarily, strengthened gun controls (in response to a Black
Panthers march), and added 145k acres to the stateâs parks.
- Two major controversies while he was governor: one of Reaganâs close aides was outed as gay during an era when this was seen as controversial and his handling of the Berkeley protests where his deployed CHP officers and Alameda deputies shot many of the peopleâs park protestors with bird and buck shot. One protestor lost his life.
- Reagan mounted an ultimately unsuccessful primary campaign against Gerald Ford but the result was close 1187 to 1070 delegates. Reagan delivered a stirring convention speech following his defeat.
- After winning the presidency in 1980 against Jimmy Carter, Reagan took office on a high note as shortly thereafter the Iranian hostages were freed.
- Reaganâs senior leadership was fractious with Jim Baker, Mike Deaver, and Ed Meese forming the âbig threeâ. The staff split into camps between idealogical vs. pragmatic lines, the âprag[matist]s and the [right] wingersâ with Jim Baker leading the former and Ed Meese the latter.
- Reagan was aloof and uninterested in most of his cabinet appointments.
Reagan Doctrine built on the Truman doctrine where rather than just supporting anti-communist governments, they would support anti-communist/socialist rebels fighting against leftist governments.
During Reagan, El Salvador was the foothold for American interventionism in South America. The focus pivoted to Nicaragua which was seen as supporting leftist rebels against the right wing government in El Salvador that the US backed.
1. Boot, M. Reagan: His Life and Legend. (Liveright, New York, NY, 2024).