On February 6, 1911, Ronald Reagan was born to Nelle and John Reagan in Tampico, Illinois. The Reagan family had a very modest lifestyle; they lived in an apartment that lacked plumbing and running water. Ronald Reagan went to Dixon High and later attended Eureka College where he studied economics and sociology. After graduating from college, he found work as a radio sports announcer in Iowa. Reagan was in his mid-20s when World War II started, but was disqualified from combat duty due to his poor eyesight. Because he couldn’t fight, Reagan spent much of his time in the army making training films.
In 1937, Reagan won a contract with Warner Brothers movie studio while covering a Cub’s spring training session. He made his acting debut in the film “Love is in the air” where he ironically played a radio news reporter. Reagan would later appear in more than 50 movies and acted in films like “Knute Rockne All American” and Kings Row. He wasn’t quite a movie star but was able to remain relevant in the film industry. In 1940, Reagan married actress Jane Wyman and had two children together. The couple would later divorce and Reagan married again, this time to actress Nancy Davis, who he also had two children with. It is interesting to note that in the history of presidents, Reagan is the only one to have been divorced.
From 1954 to 1962, Reagan hosted a television drama series called “The General Electric Theater.” In the show, Reagan traveled around the US as a public relations for General Electric and gave pro-business talks in which he criticized the government for having too much power and spending wastefully. These topics would later show up in political career.
Reagan arrived on the political stage in 1964 when he gave a well-liked speech for the Republican presidential candidate. In his younger years, Reagan started as a democrat but as he became more conservative, he transitioned into a Republican. In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California in a landslide victory winning by almost 1 million votes. He was reelected later in 1970. Reagan made unsuccessful presidential bids in 1968 and 1976, but won the republican presidential nomination in 1980 with his running mate George Bush. In the 1980 election, he faced President Jimmy Carter and won by an electoral margin of 489 to 49 and 51 percent popular vote. He was 69 at the time of the election, the oldest person to be elected as President. As president, Reagan utilized communicating techniques learned from the film industry. He would often time open speeches with a joke and his ability to connect with the audience earned him the nickname, “The Great Communicator.”
In 1937, Reagan won a contract with Warner Brothers movie studio while covering a Cub’s spring training session. He made his acting debut in the film “Love is in the air” where he ironically played a radio news reporter. Reagan would later appear in more than 50 movies and acted in films like “Knute Rockne All American” and Kings Row. He wasn’t quite a movie star but was able to remain relevant in the film industry. In 1940, Reagan married actress Jane Wyman and had two children together. The couple would later divorce and Reagan married again, this time to actress Nancy Davis, who he also had two children with. It is interesting to note that in the history of presidents, Reagan is the only one to have been divorced.
From 1954 to 1962, Reagan hosted a television drama series called “The General Electric Theater.” In the show, Reagan traveled around the US as a public relations for General Electric and gave pro-business talks in which he criticized the government for having too much power and spending wastefully. These topics would later show up in political career.
Reagan arrived on the political stage in 1964 when he gave a well-liked speech for the Republican presidential candidate. In his younger years, Reagan started as a democrat but as he became more conservative, he transitioned into a Republican. In 1966, Reagan was elected governor of California in a landslide victory winning by almost 1 million votes. He was reelected later in 1970. Reagan made unsuccessful presidential bids in 1968 and 1976, but won the republican presidential nomination in 1980 with his running mate George Bush. In the 1980 election, he faced President Jimmy Carter and won by an electoral margin of 489 to 49 and 51 percent popular vote. He was 69 at the time of the election, the oldest person to be elected as President. As president, Reagan utilized communicating techniques learned from the film industry. He would often time open speeches with a joke and his ability to connect with the audience earned him the nickname, “The Great Communicator.”
Reagan's ability to communicate with and entertain the audience certainly stemmed from his experience as an actor. Interestingly, it is not uncommon for actors to go into political careers. Not only people like Arnold Schwarzenegger who became governor, but Shirley Temple (diplomat), Clint Eastwood (mayor, activist), and others are great examples. Even as public figures, actors wield a surprising amount of influence over people, and it's interesting to see that translate into political power.
ReplyDeletesource: http://www.biography.com/people/groups/actors-turned-politicians
I wonder if the fact that Reagan was a democrat at first was ever brought up during the presidential election. However, I believe his power to persuade and to get the public on his side would have been enough to compensate for this. I also wonder if the fact that he was at first an actor and then a politician had anything to do with his title, "The Great Communicator".
ReplyDeleteThough I knew Reagan was in the film industry I didn't know how he got there or why he sought out to be there in the first place. I find this article interesting because it doesn't just focus on Reagan's presidency and his diplomatic policies but also on his life, which might help readers understand his policies deeper. I was unaware of Reagan's previous democratic era and find it interesting he turned into a Republican with more and more political information. How much of an impact do you think Reagan's film career had on his political career?
ReplyDeleteI really think this is a good blog about the history of Ronald Reagan, I especially like how you used the idea of Reagan's background to connect to how he was able to run for President and gain the popularity of the People as well as the support of the Evangelicals. One thing you should include is how the Evangelicals overall affected Reagan's political career and how that played into him eventually winning the election of 1980.
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