When Did Ronald Reagan Become President?

Ronald Reagan was the fortieth president of the United States. He was actually a famous Hollywood actor before he became President. He was the first actor to ever successfully achieve the highest office in the United States. He was a Republican and won the office of the Presidency for two consecutive terms.

In 1980, Reagan was officially sworn into the Presidency. He selected George H.W. Bush as his Vice President. During his two terms of Presidency, he issued such policies as supply-side economics, the trickle down theory, and tax cuts. His presidency officially ended in 1989.

Ronald Reagan's Early Life

Ronald Reagan was born on February 6 in 1911. He was born in Tampico, Illinois. He was born in an apartment, on the second floor of a commercial building. His parents were John Edward Reagan and Nelle Wilson Reagan. He had one sibling, an older brother named Neil Reagan.

Ronald Reagan moved a lot throughout childhood, but mostly throughout Illinois. When Reagan was older, he attended a smaller school, Eureka College.

At the university, Reagan joined the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Reagan also became heavily involved in various extracurricular activities. For example, he was the captain of the swim team, the yearbook editor, the president of the student body, a member of the football team, a member of the track team, and a member of the basketball cheerleading squad. He graduated with a double major in economics and sociology.

Reagan's Acting Career

After he graduated in 1932, Reagan moved back to Iowa. He wanted to get involved in the entertainment industry, and auditioned for jobs at many different radio stations. He was hired by the University of Iowa to broadcast football games.

Although he didn’t make a lot at the job, other individuals recognized his talent. He was hired by another radio station in Davenport for a staff announcer’s job. He quickly found another job as an announcer for the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

While he was working for the Cubs, he took a screen test in 1937. This screen test resulted in a contract with Warner Brothers studios for seven years. Some of his films include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Love Is on the Air
• Santa Fe Trail
• King’s Row
• This is the Army
• Cattle Queen of Montana
• Hellcats of the Navy

Reagan's Start in Politics

In 1941, Reagan was elected to the Board of Directors of the Screen Actors Guild. In 1946, he became the third Vice President of the organization. He soon rose to President of the organization, and he led the Screen Actors Guild through several labor and management disputes of the fifties.

During this time, he also testified before the House of Un-American Activities Committee. He was fervently anti-communist, and he even provided the FBI with some names of individuals who he believed were possible communists. In 1949, he met his wife, Nancy Davis. She contacted him because her name appeared on the communist blacklist in Hollywood. She had been mistaken with another actress by the same name. They were soon married in 1952, in the San Fernando Valley.

Although Reagan began his political career as a Democrat and a supporter of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal policies, he quickly became more conservative after World War II. He supported Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard Nixon, even though he still claimed to be a Democrat.

In 1966, the Republican Party nominated him to be the Governor of California. He defeated Edmund G “Pat” Brown and won the office. He was sworn into office on January 3, 1967. His political career continued successfully, and he was reelected Governor.