Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States, prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd governor of California, and was the radio, film and television actor.
As President, he was instrumental in the fall of the Soviet Union, challenging Soviet leaders in Europe to end their policies, most famously Mikhail Gorbachev, the leader of Eastern Germany.
Personal Life
Early Life
Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911, in an apartment on the second floor of a commercial building in Tampico, Illinois. He was the younger son of Nelle Clyde (née Wilson; 1883–1962) and Jack Reagan (1883–1941). Jack was a salesman and storyteller whose grandparents were Irish Catholic emigrants from County Tipperary, while Nelle was of English, Irish and Scottish descent. Reagan's older brother, Neil Reagan (1908–1996), became an advertising executive.
Reagan's father nicknamed his son "Dutch", due to his "fat little Dutchman"–like appearance and "Dutchboy" haircut; the nickname stuck with him throughout his youth. Reagan's family briefly lived in several towns and cities in Illinois, including Monmouth, Galesburg, and Chicago. In 1919, they returned to Tampico and lived above the H. C. Pitney Variety Store until finally settling in Dixon, Illinois. After his election as president, Reagan lived in the upstairs White House private quarters, and he would quip that he was "living above the store again".
Trivia
- He was the oldest president to take office.
- However, Donald Trump took that role when he was sworn in in 2017, and then Joe Biden himself took that role in 2021, and this role will go back to Donald Trump in 2025.
- He was played by Dennis Quaid in the 2024 film Reagan, which received positive reviews from the audience and negative reviews from the critics.