Ronald Wilson Reagan

Born in the family of a shoe salesman; graduated from Eureka College, Eureka, Illinois (1932) with a bachelor's degree in economics and sociology; radio announcer at WOC, Davenport, Iowa, and then WHO, Des Moines (1932-1937); debuted in the movie "Love Is on the Air" (1937); appeared in more than 50 films, notably including "Knute Rockne-All American" (1940), "Kings Row" (1942), and "The Hasty Heart" (1950); produced air force training films (1942-1945); president of the Screen Actors Guild (1947-1952); campaigned for Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon in the presidential elections of 1952, 1956, 1960; formally switched to Republican Party in 1962; host and performer on General Electric Theater; toured as speaker for General Electric Company (1954-1962); elected governor of California (2 Jan 1967 - 6 Jan 1975); made unsuccessful bid for Republican presidential nomination in 1968; reelected governor of California 1970; unsuccessfully challenged President Gerald Ford in the Republican primaries (1976); elected President of the United States (1980); fell victim for assassination attempt (30 Mar 1981) in Washington, D.C.; proposed to greatly increase military expenditures and sharply reduce nondefense spending; fired more than 11,000 air-traffic controllers after they go out on strike against the Federal Aviation Administration (1981); proposed the construction of a strategic defense system under a program known as the Strategic Defense Initiative (1983); U.S. troops invaded island of Grenada after a leftist coup (25 Oct 1983); reelected president in 1984; signed legislation making cuts in government spending (1985); met with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Geneva (1985); authorized an air raid against Libya (25 Oct 1986); summit in Reykjavik, Iceland, on arms reduction and U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative (1986); involved in the Iran-Contra affair selling arms to Iran in an apparent effort to release American hostages in Beirut, Lebanon (1986-1987); signed with Gorbachev treaty to eliminate intermediate-range nuclear forces at a summit in Washington (1987); returned to California after the expiration of presidential term; published memoir, "An American Life" (1990); diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (1994).