Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He went to Eureka College on an athletic scholarship for swim, track and football. He was also involved in student council and the school productions. Reagan studied sociology and economics. After college he became a radio show host then movie actor. He was married twice. He was first married to Jane Wyman with whom he had two children, Maureen and Michael. They divorced during World War II while Reagan made training films. He met Nancy Davis, while he was president of the Screen Actors' Guild. He married Nancy Davis in 1952 and had two children, Patricia and Ronald. He began hosting General Electric Theater, which allowed him travel the country. During this time views changed from liberal Democrat to conservative Republican. .
In 1966 Reagan's political career began. He ran for Governor of California and won by a landslide, and was re-elected in 1970. Running for president was the next step to his political career. When he did not receive the nominations for presidency in 1968 or 1976 he did not stop trying and in doing so he received a nomination from the Republican Party in 1980. Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter by winning the electoral vote, 489 to 49, and almost 51% of the popular vote. The day Reagan was sworn into office Iran released 52 hostages. An attempt was taken on Reagan's life in March of 1981; luckily he was able to recover and was back to work within a couple of weeks. One of Reagan's main goals was to stimulate the economy. He reduced taxes and restrictions on businesses. He passed a bill to reduce taxes by 30%, but settles for 25%. Another goal achieved was decreasing government expenses, at increasing military budget by 35%. He sought to stop inflation, decrease unemployment rates, and strengthen national defense. Sandra Day O'Connor was the first women appointed to the Supreme Court, and she was appointed by Reagan.
