Ronald Reagan At sixty nine years old, Ronald Wilson Reagan was the oldest person to be elected as President of the United States. He is also the second longest-lived president in U.S. history, just behind Gerald R Ford by 45 days. He became California’s thirty third governor in 1966 and became the 40th president of the United States in 1980. He had previously campaigned in 1968 and 1976. In 1984 he was re-elected over former Vice-President, Walter Mondale. His vice president during his years in the White House was George H W Bush. Ronald Reagan was born on February 6 1911 in Tampica, Illinois. Before his political career took off Ronald was a successful Hollywood star and head of the Screen Actors Guild. Some of His films include, International Squadron, Hong Kong, The Winning Team, Cattle Queen of Montana, Storm Warning, The Killers. His many leading ladies included Barbara Stanwyck, Ginger Rogers, Doris Day, and Angie Dickinson.
He also had the honour of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Reagan was a reserve officer in the army in 1935 but was disqualified from combat duty in 1941 because of his astigmatism. Actress Jane Wyman was to become the first wife of Reagan when they married on January 24 1940. Together they had three children, one of their own, one adopted and one who died at birth. In 1948 they divorced and to date Reagan is the only president to have been divorced. By March 1942 Reagan had met and married another actress, Nancy Davis with whom he had a daughter Patti who was born in October that year and a son Ron born in 1958. Towards the end of Ronald’s life when he was suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease Nancy stated, "We were very much in love, and still are". Ronald Reagan’s first attempt at the presidency came in 1976 when he challenged incumbent President Gerald R Ford. During his presidency Reagan was known for his one liners and humour and his ability to side step his critics and difficult situations with his disarming use of language.When campaigning against Jimmy Carter in 1976 Reagan, while referring to the situation on unemployment and inflation rates he was known to have said, “A recession is when your neighbour loses his job; depression is when you lose your job and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."
On March 30 1981 Reagan, along with James Brady, his press secretary and two others were the target of the-would be assassin John Brinkley’s bullets. One bullet missed Reagan’s heart by one inch and pierced his left lung. Reagan is credited with restoring America's power and prosperity after a period of stagflation in the wake of the Watergate scandal and the withdrawal from Vietnam.Reagan's persuasive speaking style earned him the "The Great Communicator," while his survival of numerous scandals and an assassination attempt earned him the nickname "The Teflon President. After Ronald Reagan's administration George H W Bush took over the presidency of the United States. After leaving office, Ronald Reagan wrote his autobiography titled An American Life. Since his presidency Ronald Reagan has ranked high in several polls. In his final ten years Ronald Reagan suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died in 2004 at the age of 93 in Bel-Air, California. He is survived by his second wife Nancy. ABB | 
