Ronald Reagan drama and politics complemented each other each revealing his ability and confi dence in front of others In college Reagan indulged these interests joining the football swimming and track teams participating in productions by the drama club and serving as president of his freshman class and then the student body After college Reagan focused on a career in media and entertainment first working as a radio sportscaster and later as an actor Although he appeared primarily in supporting roles in B movies and on tele vision Reagan was active in Hollywood serving as the president of the Screen Actors Guild for six terms During his tenure Reagan helped achieve several mea sures that benefited actors However it was also during this time that his anticommu nist leanings which would remain a theme throughout his political career became evident He cooperated with the House Un-American Activities Committee which attempted to eliminate communist influ ence in Hollywood by blacklisting actors directors and writers believed to have ties to communism 8
Introduction Following this period Reagan’s focus shifted increasingly to politics He had been a lifelong Democrat like his father but partly due to the influence of his wife Nancy Reagan became more conservative and officially registered as a Republican in 1962 His televised speech in support of Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 launched him into the national political arena and by 1966 he had attracted enough support to be elected gov ernor of California Despite his successes as governor Reagan failed in his attempts to win the Republican bid for the presidency in 1968 and 1976 By 1980 though the political climate was right and Reagan was elected the 40th U S president His administration faced some major setbacks including a severe reces sion and the infamous Iran-Contra scandal in which arms were illegally sold to Iran in an effort to secure the release of American hostages in Lebanon However having overseen a period of economic growth and improved relations with the Soviet Union Reagan regained much of his popularity by the end of his two terms 9
Ronald Reagan Armed with the charisma of an actor and the confidence of a seasoned politician Reagan emerged from his humble beginnings to pursue his greatest ambitions thus ful filling the promise of the American dream Even after his passing Reagan has remained a beacon of the Republican Party Readers of this volume will learn about the personality and politics that shaped Reagan’s legacy and made him the pivotal leader he came to be 10
