Ronald Reagan

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             In 1942, he interrupted his acting career by joining the army. After being discharged, at the rank of captain, he decided to turn toward a political career. In 1947 he was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, a union representing Hollywood personalities that was affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. He soon found himself in the middle of the attempted communist takeover of the movie industry. He testified before Congress as a friendly witness, where he gave a powerful defense of the strength of democracy. Slowly, his political views began to shift from liberal to conservative. He was later hired as a spokesman for General Electric. He was able to travel a lot because of his job and he was able to interact with many Americans, leading to his growing sense that the government was hindering the lives of Americans. .
             Reagan's first marriage was to actress Jane Wyman. They later divorced in 1949. She reportedly objected to his increasing political involvement. They had two children, one of whom was adopted. In 1952 he married Nancy Davis, whom he met while working on a movie. They also had two children.
             In 1964 he gave a speech for Republican Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and he burst onto the political scene as an important leader in the conservative movement. In 1966, he ran for Governor of Californian against Pat Brown. He won the governorship by a margin of nearly one million votes, the largest plurality by which a sitting governor had ever before been defeated throughout American history. The importance of California in national politics and the size of his margin of election brought Reagan recognition as a politician of national stature. In 1970 he won the re-election. .
             Ronald Reagan's eight years as governor of California brought home to him the difference between the words he had spoken over the years and what could actually be accomplished once in office.