Ronald Wilson Reagan (R
?) was the 40th
president of the United States, from
1981-
1989. Longest-lived president at age 90 (as of 2001).
Ronald Reagan first rose to fame as a Hollywood actor, most famously as "the Gipper", a nickname which he retained for the rest of his life.
Ronald Reagan began his political life as a staunch [New Deal]? / Franklin D. Roosevelt supporter. He gradually became a staunch anti-Communist. He was elected governor of California and elected president in 1980 and 1984. During his presidency, Reagan survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley, Jr.
He was:
- anti-Communist
- in favor of tax cuts
- in favor of smaller non-military government
- in favor of removing regulations on corporations
- supportive of business interests, both small and large
- supportive of (some) individual liberties
- tough on crime
- a draft dodger
- a big fan of jellybeans
He is credited with:
- building up the military
- lowering taxes
- creating the [Earned Income Credit]? - so that his tax cut would be passed
- multiplying the deficit to several trillion dollars (The Democrat-controlled Congress passed the necessary spending and tax cut bills)
- closing many public mental health institutions
- greatly escalating the "war on drugs"
- removing the solar panels from the White House roof and cutting alternative energy spending
- beginning "Star Wars" antimissile defense research
- allowing AIDS to spread by ignoring the CDC requests for funding
- coining the term "volunteerism?"
He was the first divorced person to be elected president.
During his administration, there was a major scandal and investigation of what came to be known as the Iran-Contra Affair.
Reagan currently suffers from Alzheimers disease.
Major Legislation Signed
Major Legislation Vetoed
- [Sandra Day O'Connor]? - 1981
- [William Rehnquist]? - Chief Justice, 1986 (an associate justice since 1972)
- [Antonin Scalia]? - 1986
- [Anthony M. Kennedy]? - 1988
Inaugural Addresses:
/Talk
See also:
- [US Election 1984]?
- [US Election 1988]?