American President
Ronald Reagan (1911–2004)
Facts at a Glance
- Term
- 40th President of the United States (1981–1989)
- Born
- February 6, 1911, Tampico, IL
- Nickname
- “Dutch,” “The Gipper,” “The Great Communicator”
- Full Name
- Ronald Wilson Reagan
- Education
- Eureka College (1932)
- Religion
- Christian Church
- Marriage
- January 26, 1940, to Jane Wyman (1914–2007), divorced, 1948; March 4, 1952, to Nancy Davis (1923–)
- Children
- Maureen Elizabeth (1941–2001); Michael Edward (1945–); Patricia Ann (1952–); Ronald Prescott (1958–)
- Career
- Actor, Public Official
- Political Party
- Republican
- Writings
- Where’s the Rest of Me? (1965); The Creative Society (1968); Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation (1984); Speaking My Mind (1989); An American Life (1990)
- Died
- June 5, 2004
- Buried
- Simi Valley, California
- A Life in Brief
- Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, followed a unique path to the White House. After successful careers as a radio sports announcer, Hollywood movie actor, and television host, he turned to politics. More »
Address from the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin Wall) (June 12, 1987)
Reagan Multimedia Gallery
Reagan Oral Histories
Selected Reagan Speeches
“A Time for Choosing” (10/27/1964)
First Inaugural Address (1/20/1981)
Address on Economic Recovery (4/28/1981)
Address to the British Parliament (6/8/1982)
“Evil Empire” Speech (3/8/1983)
Speech on the Geneva Summit (11/21/1985)
Address on the "Challenger" (1/28/1986)
Remarks on the Tax Reform Act (10/22/1986)
Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (3/4/1987)
Address from the Berlin Wall (6/12/1987)
Address at Moscow State U. (5/31/1988)
Farewell Address (1/11/1989)
Essays on Ronald Reagan and His Administration
- Ronald Wilson Reagan
- A Life in Brief
- Life Before the Presidency
- Campaigns and Elections
- Domestic Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Life After the Presidency
- Family Life
- Impact and Legacy
- Key Events
- First Lady
- Nancy Reagan
- Vice President
- George H. W. Bush
- Secretary of State
- Alexander Haig Jr. (1981–1982)
- George Shultz (1982–1989)
- Secretary of Defense
- Caspar Weinberger (1981–1987)
- Frank Carlucci (1987–1989)
- Secretary of the Interior
- James Watt (1981–1983)
- William Clark (1983–1985)
- Donald Hodel (1985–1989)
- Secretary of Commerce
- Malcolm Baldrige (1981–1987)
- C. William Verity (1987–1989)
- Secretary of Health and Human Services
- Richard Schweiker (1981–1983)
- Margaret Heckler (1983–1985)
- Otis R. Bowen (1985–1989)
- Secretary of Transportation
- Andrew Lewis Jr. (1981–1983)
- Elizabeth Dole (1983–1987)
- James Burnley (1987–1989)
- Secretary of Education
- Terrel H. Bell (1981–1984)
- William J. Bennett (1985–1988)
- Lauro F. Cavazos (1988–1989)
- Secretary of the Treasury
- Donald Regan (1981–1985)
- James Baker (1985–1988)
- Nicholas F. Brady (1988–1989)
- Attorney General
- William French Smith (1981–1985)
- Edwin Meese (1985–1988)
- Richard Thornburgh (1988–1989)
- Secretary of Agriculture
- John Block (1981–1986)
- Richard E. Lyng (1986–1989)
- Secretary of Labor
- Raymond Donovan (1981–1985)
- William Brock (1985–1987)
- Ann Dore McLaughlin (1987–1989)
- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development
- Samuel Pierce (1981–1989)
- Secretary of Energy
- James Edwards (1981–1982)
- Donald Hodel (1982–1985)
- John Herrington (1985–1989)
Miller Center Presentations About Reagan
The End of Conservatism? (2/27/2009)
Leadership and the Nature of Change (4/16/2010)
White House Speechwriters (6/20/2008)
Reagan Oral History Conference (2/6/2006)
Consulting Editor: Lou Cannon
Mr. Cannon is the author of nine books, five of them on Ronald Reagan, and has been called Reagan’s definitive biographer. As a journalist, he covered the Reagan presidency for The Washington Post and the Reagan governorship of California for the San Jose Mercury-News. His books on Reagan include:
• Reagan’s Disciple: George W. Bush’s Troubled Quest for a Presidential Legacy (Co-authored with Carl M. Cannon, PublicAffairs, 2008)
• Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power (PublicAffairs, 2003)
• Ronald Reagan: The Presidential Portfolio (PublicAffairs, 2001)
• President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (Simon and Schuster 1991, PublicAffairs, 2000)
• Reagan (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1982)
Presidential Speeches
Below are selections from the Miller Center’s Ronald Reagan speech collection.
October 10, 1964—“A Time for Choosing”
March 8, 1983—“Evil Empire” Speech
January 28, 1986—Address on the Space Shuttle “Challenger”
June 12, 1987—Address from the Brandenburg Gate (Berlin Wall)
Scholarship and Speakers
The Miller Center of Public Affairs is a national nonpartisan center to research, reflect, and report on American government, with special attention to the central role and history of the presidency. Below is a selection of Miller Center resources on Ronald Reagan.
Read the transcript of Caspar Weinberger’s 2002 Miller Center Oral History interview. Full Miller Center Reagan Oral History Archive.
Listen to Fred Fielding’s 1992 presentation at the Miller Center on the
Reagan Presidency. Fielding served as
White House Counsel under Reagan.
As President, Ronald Reagan ordered an invasion of Grenada. Learn more about the Miller Center’s National War Powers Commission.
Learn more about the Center’s National Commission on Presidential Press Conferences and its relationship to Reagan.
Scripps Library Reference Resources
Below are links to reference resources prepared by the Miller Center’s Scripps Library, designed to help students and scholars conduct their research quickly.
Information on Ronald Reagan’s Private and Public Papers
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