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Nancy Reagan

October 10, 2023

"Nancy Davis" redirects here. For other people with the same name, see Nancy Davis (disambiguation).

Nancy Davis Reagan (/ˈreɪɡən/; born Anne Frances Robbins; July 6, 1921 – March 6, 2016) was an American film actress and the First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of president Ronald Reagan.

Nancy Reagan
Official portrait, 1983
First Lady of the United States
In role
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byRosalynn Carter
Succeeded byBarbara Bush
First Lady of California
In role
January 2, 1967 – January 6, 1975
GovernorRonald Reagan
Preceded byBernice Brown
Succeeded byGloria Deukmejian (1983)
Personal details
Born
Anne Frances Robbins

(1921-07-06)July 6, 1921
New York City, U.S.
DiedMarch 6, 2016(2016-03-06) (aged 94)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeRonald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1952; died 2004)​
Children
Parents
EducationSmith College (BA)
Signature
Nancy Reagan's voice
Nancy Reagan on the federal drug policy of the United States
Recorded October 2, 1982

Reagan was born in New York City. After her parents separated, she lived in Maryland with an aunt and uncle for six years. When her mother remarried in 1929, she moved to Chicago and later was adopted by her mother's second husband. As Nancy Davis, she was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 1950s, starring in films such as The Next Voice You Hear..., Night into Morning, and Donovan's Brain. In 1952, she married Ronald Reagan, who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild. He had two children from his previous marriage to Jane Wyman[1] and he and Nancy had two children together. Nancy Reagan was the First Lady of California when her husband was governor from 1967 to 1975, and she began to work with the Foster Grandparents Program.

Reagan became First Lady of the United States in January 1981, following her husband's victory in the 1980 presidential election. Early in his first term, she was criticized largely due to her decisions both to replace the White House china, which had been paid for by private donations, and to accept free clothing from fashion designers. She championed causes opposed to recreational drug use when she founded the "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign, which was considered her major initiative as First Lady. More discussion of her role ensued following a 1988 revelation that she had consulted an astrologer to assist in planning the president's schedule after the attempted assassination of her husband in 1981. She generally had a strong influence on her husband and played a role in a few of his personnel and diplomatic decisions.

The couple returned to their home in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California, after Reagan's time in office. Nancy devoted most of her time to caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, until his death at the age of 93 on June 5, 2004. Reagan remained active within the Reagan Library and in politics, particularly in support of embryonic stem cell research, until her death from congestive heart failure at age 94 in 2016.

Early life and education Edit

 
Young Reagan with her mother, actress Edith Luckett in January 1931.

Anne Frances Robbins was born on July 6, 1921, at Sloane Hospital for Women in Uptown Manhattan.[1][2][3][4][5] Davis gave her birth date as July 6, 1923, a date cited through most of her life. She was of English descent. She was the only child of Kenneth Seymour Robbins (1892–1972), a farmer[6] turned car salesman who had been born into a once-well-to-do family,[1][7][8] and his actress wife, Edith Prescott Luckett (1888–1987).[9][10][11][12][13] Her godmother was silent-film-star Alla Nazimova.[14] From birth, she was commonly called Nancy.[15]

Robbins lived her first two years in Flushing, Queens, a neighborhood of New York City, in a two-story house on Roosevelt Avenue between 149th and 150th Streets.[16] Her parents separated soon after her birth and were divorced in 1928.[1][13][17] After their separation, her mother traveled the country to pursue acting jobs and Robbins was raised in Bethesda, Maryland, for six years by her aunt, Virginia Luckett, and uncle, Audley Gailbraith, where she attended Sidwell Friends School for kindergarten through second grade.[1][17] Nancy later described longing for her mother during those years: "My favorite times were when Mother had a job in New York, and Aunt Virgie would take me by train to stay with her."[18]

In 1929, her mother married Loyal Edward Davis (1896–1982), a prominent conservative neurosurgeon who moved the family to Chicago.[1][2] Nancy and her stepfather got along very well;[19] she later wrote that he was "a man of great integrity who exemplified old-fashioned values".[20] He formally adopted her in 1938,[2] and she would always refer to him as her father.[19] At the time of the adoption, her name was legally changed to Nancy Davis.[15] She attended the Girls' Latin School of Chicago (describing herself as an average student), from 1929, until she graduated in 1939, and later attended Smith College in Massachusetts, where she majored in English and drama, graduating in 1943.[13][21]

Acting career Edit

 
Davis, c. 1949–50

In 1940, a young Davis had appeared as a National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis volunteer in a memorable short subject film shown in movie theaters to raise donations for the crusade against polio. The Crippler featured a sinister figure spreading over playgrounds and farms, laughing over its victims, until finally dispelled by the volunteer. It was very effective in raising contributions.[22]

Following her graduation from college, Davis held jobs in Chicago as a sales clerk in Marshall Field's department store and as a nurse's aide.[13] With the help of her mother's colleagues in theatre, including ZaSu Pitts, Walter Huston, and Spencer Tracy,[19] she pursued a professional career as an actress. She first gained a part in Pitts' 1945 road tour of Ramshackle Inn,[2][13] moving to New York City. She landed the role of Si-Tchun, a lady-in-waiting,[23] in the 1946 Broadway musical about the Orient, Lute Song, starring Mary Martin and a pre-fame Yul Brynner.[13] The show's producer told her, "You look like you could be Chinese."[24]

After passing a screen test,[13] she moved to California and signed a seven-year contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM) in 1949;[2] she later remarked, "Joining Metro was like walking into a dream world."[25] Her combination of attractive appearance—centered on her large eyes—and somewhat distant and understated manner made her hard at first for MGM to cast and publicize.[26] Davis appeared in eleven feature films, usually typecast as a "loyal housewife",[27] "responsible young mother", or "the steady woman".[28] Jane Powell, Debbie Reynolds, Leslie Caron, and Janet Leigh were among the actresses with whom she competed for roles at MGM.[26]

 
Davis in 1950

Davis' film career began with small supporting roles in two films that were released in 1949, The Doctor and the Girl with Glenn Ford and East Side, West Side starring Barbara Stanwyck.[29] She played a child psychiatrist in the film noir Shadow on the Wall (1950) with Ann Sothern and Zachary Scott; her performance was called "beautiful and convincing" by New York Times critic A. H. Weiler.[30] She co-starred in 1950's The Next Voice You Hear..., playing a pregnant housewife who hears the voice of God from her radio. Influential reviewer Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that "Nancy Davis [is] delightful as [a] gentle, plain, and understanding wife."[31] In 1951, Davis appeared in Night into Morning, her favorite screen role,[32] a study of bereavement starring Ray Milland. Crowther said that Davis "does nicely as the fiancée who is widowed herself and knows the loneliness of grief",[33] while another noted critic, The Washington Post's Richard L. Coe, said Davis "is splendid as the understanding widow".[34] MGM released Davis from her contract in 1952;[35] she sought a broader range of parts,[36] but also married Reagan, keeping her professional name as Davis, and had her first child that year.[35] She soon starred in the science fiction film Donovan's Brain (1953); Crowther said that Davis, playing the role of a possessed scientist's "sadly baffled wife", "walked through it all in stark confusion" in an "utterly silly" film.[37] In her next-to-last movie, Hellcats of the Navy (1957), she played nurse Lieutenant Helen Blair, and appeared in a film for the only time with her husband, playing what one critic called "a housewife who came along for the ride".[38] Another reviewer, however, stated that Davis plays her part satisfactorily, and "does well with what she has to work with".[39]

 
Nancy and Ronald Reagan aboard a boat, 1964

Author Garry Wills has said that Davis was generally underrated as an actress because her constrained part in Hellcats was her most widely seen performance.[28] In addition, Davis downplayed her Hollywood goals: promotional material from MGM in 1949 said that her "greatest ambition" was to have a "successful happy marriage"; decades later, in 1975, she would say, "I was never really a career woman but [became one] only because I hadn't found the man I wanted to marry. I couldn't sit around and do nothing, so I became an actress."[28] Ronald Reagan biographer Lou Cannon nevertheless characterized her as a "reliable" and "solid" performer who held her own in performances with better-known actors.[28] After her final film, Crash Landing (1958), Davis appeared for a brief time as a guest star in television dramas, such as the Zane Grey Theatre episode "The Long Shadow" (1961), where she played opposite Ronald Reagan, as well as Wagon Train and The Tall Man, until she retired as an actress in 1962.[29]

During her career, Davis served for nearly ten years on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild.[40] Decades later, Albert Brooks attempted to coax her out of acting retirement by offering her the title role opposite himself in his 1996 film Mother.[41] She declined in order to care for her husband, and Debbie Reynolds played the part.[41]

Marriage and family Edit

 
Newlyweds Ronald and Nancy Reagan, March 4, 1952

During her Hollywood career, Davis dated many actors, including Clark Gable, Robert Stack, and Peter Lawford;[35] she later called Gable the nicest of the stars she had met.[19] On November 15, 1949, she met Ronald Reagan,[42] who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild. She had noticed that her name had appeared on the Hollywood blacklist. Davis sought Reagan's help to maintain her employment as a guild actress in Hollywood and for assistance in having her name removed from the list.[19] Ronald Reagan informed her that she had been confused with another actress of the same name.[19] The two began dating and their relationship was the subject of many gossip columns; one Hollywood press account described their nightclub-free times together as "the romance of a couple who have no vices".[42] Ronald Reagan was skeptical about marriage, however, following his painful 1949 divorce from Jane Wyman, and he still saw other women.[42]

After three years of dating, they eventually decided to marry while discussing the issue in the couple's favorite booth at Chasen's, a restaurant in Beverly Hills.[42] The couple wed on March 4, 1952, at the Little Brown Church in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, in a simple, hastily-arranged ceremony designed to avoid the press; the marriage was her first and his second.[43] The only people in attendance were fellow actor William Holden (the best man) and his wife, actress Brenda Marshall (the matron of honor).[42][44] Nancy was likely already pregnant; the couple's first child, Patricia Ann Reagan (later better known by her professional name, Patti Davis), was born less than eight months later on October 21, 1952. Their son, Ronald Prescott Reagan (later better known as Ron Reagan) was born six years later on May 20, 1958. Reagan also became stepmother to Maureen Reagan (1941–2001) and Michael Reagan (b. 1945), her husband's children from his marriage to Jane Wyman.

 
Matron of honor Brenda Marshall and best man William Holden, sole guests at the Reagans' wedding, flank the newlywed couple

Observers described Nancy and Ronald's relationship as intimate.[45] As president and first lady, the Reagans were reported to display their affection frequently, with one press secretary noting, "They never took each other for granted. They never stopped courting."[46][47] Ronald often called Nancy "Mommy"; she called him "Ronnie".[47] While the president was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy wrote in her diary, "Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over."[48] In a letter to Nancy, Ronald wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy ... all would be without meaning if I didn't have you."[49] In 1998, a few years after her husband had been given a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Nancy told Vanity Fair, "Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are. When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true. It did. I can't imagine life without him."[46] Nancy was known for the focused and attentive look, termed "the Gaze", that she fastened upon her husband during his speeches and appearances.[50]

President Reagan's death in June 2004 ended what Charlton Heston called "the greatest love affair in the history of the American Presidency".[46]

 
The Reagan family, c. 1967

Nancy's relationship with her children was not always as close as the bond with her husband. She frequently quarreled with her children and her stepchildren. Her relationship with Patti was the most contentious; Patti flouted American conservatism, rebelled against her parents by joining the nuclear freeze movement, and authored many anti-Reagan books.[51] The nearly 20 years of family feuding left Patti very much estranged from both her mother and father.[52] Soon after her father's Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed, Patti and her mother reconciled and began to speak on a daily basis.[53] Nancy's disagreements with Michael were also public matters; in 1984, she was quoted as saying that the two were in an "estrangement right now". Michael responded that Nancy was trying to cover up for the fact she had not met his daughter, Ashley, who had been born nearly a year earlier.[54] They too eventually made peace. Nancy was thought to be closest to her stepdaughter Maureen during the White House years, but each of the Reagan children experienced periods of estrangement from their parents.[46]

First Lady of California (1967–1975) Edit

 
Reagan as the first lady of California

Nancy Reagan was First Lady of California during her husband's two terms as governor. She disliked living in the state capital of Sacramento, which lacked the excitement, social life, and mild climate to which she was accustomed in Los Angeles.[55] She first attracted controversy early in 1967; after four months' residence in the California Governor's Mansion in Sacramento, she moved her family into a wealthy suburb because fire officials had labelled the mansion as a "firetrap".[56] Though the Reagans had leased the new house at their expense,[55] the move was viewed as snobbish when the matter was brought to the attention of the general public. Reagan defended her actions as being for the good of her family, a judgment with which her husband readily agreed.[55][56] Friends of the family later helped support the cost of the leased house, while Reagan supervised construction of a new ranch-style governor's residence in nearby Carmichael.[57] The new residence was finished just as Ronald Reagan left office in 1975, but his successor, Jerry Brown, refused to live there. It was sold in 1982, and California governors lived in improvised arrangements until Brown moved into the Governor's Mansion in 2015.[57][58]

In 1967, Governor Reagan appointed his wife to the California Arts Commission,[59] and a year later she was named Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year; in its profile, the Times labeled her "A Model First Lady".[60] Her glamour, style, and youthfulness, made her a frequent subject for press photographers.[61] As first lady, Reagan visited veterans, the elderly, and the handicapped, and worked with a number of charities. She became involved with the Foster Grandparents Program,[62] helping to popularize it in the United States and Australia.[63] She later expanded her work with the organization after arriving in Washington,[62] and wrote about her experiences in her 1982 book To Love a Child.[64] The Reagans held dinners for former POWs and Vietnam War veterans while governor and first lady.[65]

Role in 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns Edit

Main articles: 1976 United States presidential election and 1980 United States presidential election

Governor Reagan's gubernatorial time in office ended in 1975, and he did not run for a third term; instead, he met with advisors to discuss a possible bid for the 1976 presidency, challenging incumbent President Gerald Ford. Ronald still needed to convince a reluctant Nancy before running, however.[66] She feared for her husband's health and his career as a whole, though she felt that he was the right man for the job and eventually approved.[67] Nancy took on a traditional role in the campaign, holding coffees, luncheons, and talks.[67] She also oversaw personnel, monitored her husband's schedule, and occasionally provided press conferences.[68] The 1976 campaign included the so-called "battle of the queens", contrasting Nancy with First Lady Betty Ford. They both spoke out over the course of the campaign on similar issues, but with different approaches.[69] Nancy was upset by the warmonger image that the Ford campaign had drawn of her husband.[67]

Though he lost the 1976 Republican nomination, Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency a second time in 1980. He succeeded in winning the nomination and defeated incumbent rival Jimmy Carter in a landslide. During this second campaign, Nancy played a prominent role, and her management of staff became more apparent.[68] She organized a meeting among feuding campaign managers John Sears and Michael Deaver and her husband, which resulted in Deaver leaving the campaign and Sears being given full control. After the Reagan camp lost the Iowa Caucus and fell behind in New Hampshire polls, Nancy organized a second meeting and decided it was time to fire Sears and his associates; she gave Sears a copy of the press release announcing his dismissal.[68] Her influence on her husband became particularly notable; her presence at rallies, luncheons, and receptions increased his confidence.[70]

First Lady of the United States (1981–1989) Edit

White House glamour Edit

Renovation Edit

 
The new president and his wife wave to the crowd during the Inaugural Parade, January 20, 1981, the same day that 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days were set free

Reagan became the first lady of the United States when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president in January 1981. Early in her husband's presidency, Reagan stated her desire to create a more suitable "first home" in the White House, as the building had fallen into a state of disrepair following years of neglect.[71] White House aide Michael Deaver described the second and third floor family residence as having "cracked plaster walls, chipped paint [and] beaten up floors";[72] rather than use government funds to renovate and redecorate, she sought private donations.[13] In 1981, Reagan directed a major renovation of several White House rooms, including all of the second and third floors[73] and rooms adjacent to the Oval Office, including the press briefing room.[74] The renovation included repainting walls, refinishing floors, repairing fireplaces, and replacing antique pipes, windows, and wires.[72] The closet in the master bedroom was converted into a beauty parlor and dressing room, and the West bedroom was made into a small gymnasium.[75]

The first lady secured the assistance of renowned interior designer Ted Graber, popular with affluent West Coast social figures, to redecorate the family living quarters.[76] A Chinese-pattern, handpainted wallpaper was added to the master bedroom.[77] Family furniture was placed in the president's private study.[76] The first lady and her designer retrieved a number of White House antiques, which had been in storage, and placed them throughout the mansion.[76] In addition, many of Reagan's own collectibles were put out for display, including around twenty-five Limoges Boxes, as well as some porcelain eggs and a collection of plates.[78]

The extensive redecoration was paid for by private donations.[13][76] Many significant and long-lasting changes occurred as a result of the renovation and refurbishment, of which Reagan said, "This house belongs to all Americans, and I want it to be something of which they can be proud."[76] The renovations received some criticisms for being funded by tax-deductible donations, meaning some of it eventually did indirectly come from the tax-paying public.[79]

Fashion Edit

Reagan's interest in fashion was another one of her trademarks. While her husband was still president-elect, press reports speculated about Reagan's social life and interest in fashion.[80][81][82] In many press accounts, Reagan's sense of style was favorably compared to that of a previous first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy.[83] Friends and those close to her remarked that, while fashionable like Kennedy, she would be different from other first ladies; close friend Harriet Deutsch was quoted as saying, "Nancy has her own imprint."[81]

White House photographer Mary Anne Fackelman-Miner, who was assigned to Reagan, said of her, "She always photographed so easily and was at ease in front of the cameras."[84]

Reagan's wardrobe consisted of dresses, gowns, and suits made by luxury designers, including James Galanos, Bill Blass, and Oscar de la Renta. Her white, hand-beaded, one shoulder Galanos 1981 inaugural gown was estimated to cost $10,000,[85] while the overall price of her inaugural wardrobe was said to cost $25,000.[86] She favored the color red, calling it "a picker-upper", and wore it accordingly.[85] Her wardrobe included red so often that the fire-engine shade became known as "Reagan red".[87] She employed two private hairdressers, who would style her hair on a regular basis in the White House.[88]

 
Reagan models for Vogue in the Red Room, 1981

Fashion designers were pleased with the emphasis Reagan placed on clothing.[86] Adolfo said the first lady embodied an "elegant, affluent, well-bred, chic American look",[86] while Bill Blass commented, "I don't think there's been anyone in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has her flair."[86] William Fine, president of cosmetic company Frances Denney, noted that she "stays in style, but she doesn't become trendy."[86]

Though her elegant fashions and wardrobe were hailed as a "glamorous paragon of chic",[86] they were also controversial subjects. In 1982, she revealed that she had accepted thousands of dollars in clothing, jewelry, and other gifts, but defended her actions by stating that she had borrowed the clothes, and that they would either be returned or donated to museums,[85][89] and that she was promoting the American fashion industry.[90] Facing criticism, she soon said she would no longer accept such loans.[90] While often buying her clothes, she continued to borrow and sometimes keep designer clothes throughout her time as first lady, which came to light in 1988.[91] None of this had been included on financial disclosure forms;[91] the non-reporting of loans under $10,000 in liability was in violation of a voluntary agreement the White House had made in 1982, while not reporting more valuable loans or clothes not returned was a possible violation of the Ethics in Government Act.[91][92][93] Reagan expressed through her press secretary "regrets that she failed to heed counsel's advice" on disclosing them.[93]

Despite the controversy, many designers who allowed her to borrow clothing, noted that the arrangement was good for their businesses,[91] as well as for the American fashion industry overall.[94] In 1989, Reagan was honored at the annual gala awards dinner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, during which she received the council's lifetime achievement award.[95] Barbara Walters said of her, "She has served every day for eight long years the word 'style.'"[95]

Extravagance Edit

Approximately a year into her husband's first term, Nancy explored the idea of ordering new state china service for the White House.[96] A full china service had not been purchased since the Truman administration in the 1940s, as only a partial service was ordered in the Johnson administration.[96] She was quoted as saying, "The White House really badly, badly needs china."[96] Working with Lenox, the primary porcelain manufacturer in America, the first lady chose a design scheme of a red with etched gold band, bordering the scarlet and cream colored ivory plates with a raised presidential seal etched in gold in the center.[96] The full service comprised 4,370 pieces, with 19 pieces per individual set.[96] The service totaled $209,508.[97] Although it was paid for by private donations, some from the private J. P. Knapp Foundation, the purchase generated quite a controversy, for it was ordered at a time when the nation was undergoing an economic recession.[98] Furthermore, news of the china purchase emerged at the same time that her husband's administration had proposed school lunch regulations that would allow ketchup to be counted as a vegetable.[99]

 
President Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at a fundraiser for the Kennedy Presidential Library, 1985

The new china set, White House renovations, expensive clothing, and her attendance at the wedding of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales,[100] gave her an aura of being "out of touch" with the American people during the recession.[13] This built upon the reputation she had coming to Washington, wherein many people concluded that Reagan was a vain and shallow woman,[99] and her taste for splendor inspired the derogatory nickname "Queen Nancy".[13] While Jacqueline Kennedy had also faced some press criticism for her spending habits, Reagan's treatment was much more consistent and negative.[83] In an attempt to deflect the criticism, she self-deprecatingly donned a baglady costume at the 1982 Gridiron Dinner and sang "Second-Hand Clothes", mimicking the song "Second-Hand Rose".[101] The skit helped to restore her reputation.[102]

Reagan reflected on the criticisms in her 1989 autobiography, My Turn. She described lunching with former Democratic National Committee chairman Robert S. Strauss, wherein Strauss said to her, "When you first came to town, Nancy, I didn't like you at all. But after I got to know you, I changed my mind and said, 'She's some broad!'" Reagan responded, "Bob, based on the press reports I read then, I wouldn't have liked me either!"[103]

 
Vice President George H. W. Bush, Reagan, and Raisa Gorbacheva (spouse of Mikhail Gorbachev) in Washington, D.C., 1987

After the presidency of Jimmy Carter (who dramatically reduced the formality of presidential functions), Reagan brought a Kennedy-esque glamour back into the White House.[85][104] She hosted 56 state dinners over eight years.[105] She remarked that hosting the dinners is "the easiest thing in the world. You don't have to do anything. Just have a good time and do a little business. And that's the way Washington works."[105] The White House residence staff found Reagan demanding to work for during the preparation for the state dinners, with the first lady overseeing every aspect of meal presentations, and sometimes requesting one dessert after another be prepared, before finally settling on one she approved of.[106]

In general, the first lady's desire for everything to appear just right in the White House led the residence staff to consider her not easy to work for, with tirades following what she perceived as mistakes.[107] One staffer later recalled, "I remember hearing her call for her personal maid one day and it scared the dickens out of me—just her tone. I never wanted to be on the wrong side of her."[108] She did show loyalty and respect to a number of the staff.[109] In particular, she came to the public defense of a maid who was indicted on charges of helping to smuggle ammunition to Paraguay, providing an affidavit to the maid's good character (even though it was politically inopportune to do so at the time of the Iran–Contra affair); charges were subsequently dropped, and the maid returned to work at the White House.[110][111]

In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet leader to visit Washington, D.C. since Nikita Khrushchev made the trip in 1959 at the height of the Cold War. Nancy was in charge of planning and hosting the important and highly anticipated state dinner, with the goal to impress both the Soviet leader and especially his wife Raisa Gorbacheva.[112][113] After the meal, she recruited pianist Van Cliburn to play a rendition of "Moscow Nights" for the Soviet delegation, to which Mikhail and Raisa broke out into song.[114] Secretary of State George P. Shultz later commented on the evening, saying "We felt the ice of the Cold War crumbling."[115] Reagan concluded, "It was a perfect ending for one of the great evenings of my husband's presidency."[116]

Just Say No Edit

Main article: Just Say No

The first lady launched the "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign in 1982, which was her primary project and major initiative as first lady.[13] Reagan first became aware of the need to educate young people about drugs during a 1980 campaign stop in Daytop village, New York.[117] She remarked in 1981 that "Understanding what drugs can do to your children, understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is ... the first step in solving the problem."[117] Her campaign focused on drug education and informing the youth of the danger of drug abuse.[117]

 
Reagan gives a speech at a "Just Say No" to drugs rally in Los Angeles, 1987

In 1982, Reagan was asked by a schoolgirl what to do when offered drugs; Reagan responded: "Just say no."[118][119] The phrase proliferated in the popular culture of the 1980s, and was eventually adopted as the name of club organizations and school anti-drug programs.[13] Reagan became actively involved by traveling more than 250,000 miles (400,000 km) throughout the United States and several nations, visiting drug abuse prevention programs and drug rehabilitation centers. She also appeared on television talk shows, recorded public service announcements, and wrote guest articles.[13] She appeared in an episode of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes to underscore support for the "Just Say No" campaign, and in a rock music video, "Stop the Madness" (1985).[120]

In 1985, Reagan expanded the campaign to an international level by inviting the First Ladies of various nations to the White House for a conference on drug abuse.[13] On October 27, 1986, President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law, which granted $1.7 billion in funding to fight the perceived crisis and ensured a mandatory minimum penalty for drug offenses.[121] Although the bill was criticized, Reagan considered it a personal victory.[13] In 1988, she became the first active first lady invited to address the United Nations General Assembly, where she spoke on international drug interdiction and trafficking laws.[13]

 
Reagan hosting the first White House Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse, 1985

Critics of Reagan's efforts questioned their purpose,[122] labelled Reagan's approach to promoting drug awareness as simplistic,[71] and argued that the program did not give adequate attention to various social issues associated with increased rates of drug use, including unemployment, poverty, and family dissolution.[122]

Her husband's protector Edit

Reagan assumed the role of unofficial "protector" for her husband after the attempted assassination of him in 1981.[123] On March 30 of that year, President Reagan and three others were shot by the attempted assassin 25-year old John Hinckley, Jr as they left the Washington Hilton hotel. Nancy was alerted and arrived at George Washington University Hospital, where the President was hospitalized. She recalled having seen "emergency rooms before, but I had never seen one like this – with my husband in it."[124] She was escorted into a waiting room, and when granted access to see her husband, he quipped to her, "Honey, I forgot to duck", borrowing the defeated boxer Jack Dempsey's jest to his wife.[125]

An early example of the first lady's protective nature occurred when Senator Strom Thurmond entered the President's hospital room that day in March, passing the Secret Service detail by claiming he was the President's "close friend", presumably to acquire media attention.[126] Nancy was outraged and demanded that he leave.[48] While the President recuperated in the hospital, the first lady slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent.[48] When Ronald Reagan was released from the hospital on April 12, she escorted him back to the White House.

Press accounts framed Reagan as her husband's "chief protector", an extension of their general initial framing of her as a helpmate and a Cold War domestic ideal.[127] As it happened, the day after her husband was shot, she fell off a chair while trying to take down a picture to bring to him in the hospital; she suffered several broken ribs, but was determined to not reveal it publicly.[128]

Astrological consultations Edit

 
"The Gaze": Reagan watches as her husband is sworn in for a second term by Chief Justice Warren Burger, on January 20, 1985.

During the Reagan administration, Nancy Reagan consulted a San Francisco astrologer, Joan Quigley, who provided advice on which days and times would be optimal for the president's safety and success.[13][129] Quigley began her work at the White House after the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. Nancy Reagan was told by Merv Griffin that Quigley had predicted that day would be dangerous for President Reagan, causing her to become a regular astrological consultant for the administration.[130] Quigley previously worked on the Reagan campaign prior to serving as their astrological consultant. She volunteered for their campaign in 1980, as she was impressed by his astrological chart. Private lines were set up in the White House and Camp David to assist in phone calls between Nancy Reagan and Joan Quigley, which occurred multiple times a day, and she was paid $3,000 a month for her work.[131]

White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan grew frustrated with this regimen, which created friction between him and the first lady. This friction escalated with the revelation of the Iran–Contra affair, an administration scandal, in which the first lady felt Regan was damaging the president.[clarification needed][132] She thought he should resign, and expressed this to her husband, although he did not share her view. Regan wanted President Reagan to address the Iran-Contra matter in early 1987 by means of a press conference, though the first lady refused to allow her husband to overexert himself due to a recent prostate surgery and astrological warnings.[133] She became so angry with Regan that he hung up on her during a 1987 telephone conversation. According to the recollections of ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson, when the President heard of this treatment, he demanded—and eventually received—Regan's resignation.[134] Vice President George H. W. Bush is also reported to have suggested to her to have Regan fired.[135]

In his 1988 memoir, For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington, Regan wrote the following about Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer:

Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco [Quigley] who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise.[136][137]

Donald Regan's memoir went on to cause political discourse, as well as scrutiny of the astrological community, as he exposed the "most closely guarded secret" of the Reagan administration. Although he did not know Quigley's name at the time, he wrote extensively on her role in the White House.[131] Regan further claimed that Quigley selected the date of the 1985 Geneva Summit. For her part, Quigley stated in 1998 that she had "'absolutely nothing'" to do with arranging the summit and added that others were "'overemphasizing'" her role;[137] however, in 1990, she released a book in which she asserted that she was "in charge" of the President's scheduling during the Reagan administration.[129]

Reagan acknowledged in her memoirs that she altered the President's schedule without his knowledge based on astrological advice, but argues that "no political decision was ever based [on astrology]".[138] She added, "Astrology was simply one of the ways I coped with the fear I felt after my husband almost died ... Was astrology one of the reasons [further attempts did not occur]? I don't really believe it was, but I don't really believe it wasn't."[139]

 
Nancy and Ronald Reagan together in the Oval Office, 1985

Influence in the White House Edit

Nancy Reagan wielded a powerful influence over President Reagan.[140] In her memoirs, Reagan stated, "I felt panicky every time [Ronald Reagan] left the White House".[141] Following the assassination attempt, she strictly controlled access to the president;[13][140] occasionally, she even attempted to influence her husband's decision making.[142]

Beginning in 1985, she strongly encouraged her husband to hold "summit" conferences with Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev, and suggested they form a personal relationship beforehand.[13] Both Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev had developed a productive relationship through their summit negotiations. The relationship between Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbacheva was anything but the friendly, diplomatic one between their husbands; Reagan found Gorbacheva hard to converse with and their relationship was described as "frosty".[143] The two women usually had tea and discussed differences between the USSR and the United States. Visiting the United States for the first time in 1987, Gorbacheva irked Reagan with lectures on subjects ranging from architecture to socialism, reportedly prompting the American president's wife to quip, "Who does that dame think she is?"[144]

Press framing of Reagan changed from that of just helpmate and protector to someone with hidden power.[145] As the image of her as a political interloper grew, she sought to explicitly deny that she was the power behind the throne.[145] At the end of her time as First Lady, however, she said that her husband had not been well-served by his staff.[145][146] She acknowledged her role in reaction in influencing him on personnel decisions, saying "In no way do I apologize for it."[146] She wrote in her memoirs, "I don't think I was as bad, or as extreme in my power or my weakness, as I was depicted,"[147] but went on, "However the first lady fits in, she has a unique and important role to play in looking after her husband. And it's only natural that she'll let him know what she thinks. I always did that for Ronnie, and I always will."[148]

Breast cancer Edit

In October 1987, a mammogram detected a lesion in Reagan's left breast and she was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. She chose to undergo a mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy,[149] and the breast was removed on October 17, 1987. Ten days after the operation, her 99-year-old mother, Edith Luckett Davis, died in Phoenix, Arizona, leading Reagan to dub the period "a terrible month".[150]

After the surgery, more women across the country had mammograms, which exemplified the influence that the first lady possessed.[151]

Later life Edit

Though Reagan was a controversial first lady, 56 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of her when her husband left office on January 20, 1989, with 18 percent having an unfavorable opinion, and the balance not giving an opinion.[152] Compared to fellow First Ladies when their husbands left office, Reagan's approval was higher than those of Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump. However, she was less popular than Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama, and her disapproval rating was double that of Carter's.[152]

 
Reagan's official White House portrait in the Vermeil Room

Upon leaving the White House, the couple returned to California, where wealthy friends purchased them a home at 668 St. Cloud Road in the wealthy East Gate Old Bel Air neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles,[153][154] dividing their time between Bel Air and the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara, California. Ronald and Nancy regularly attended the Bel Air Church as well.[155] After leaving Washington, Reagan made numerous public appearances, many on behalf of her husband. She continued to reside at the Bel Air home, where she lived with her husband until he died on June 5, 2004.[156]

Early post–White House activities Edit

In late 1989, the former first lady established the Nancy Reagan Foundation, which aimed to continue to educate people about the dangers of substance abuse.[157] The Foundation teamed with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow in 1994, and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program. She continued to travel around the United States, speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse.

Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.

— Nancy Reagan (May 2004)[140]

Her memoirs, My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan (1989), are an account of her life in the White House, commenting openly about her influence within the Reagan administration, and discussing the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple.[158] In 1991, the author Kitty Kelley wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Reagan, repeating accounts of a poor relationship with her children, and introducing rumors of alleged sexual relations with singer Frank Sinatra. A wide range of sources commented that Kelley's largely unsupported claims are most likely false.[159][160][161][162]

In 1989, the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) began investigating the Reagans over allegations they owed additional tax on the gifts and loans of high-fashion clothes and jewellery to the first lady during their time in the White House[163] (recipients benefiting from the display of such items recognize taxable income even if they are returned).[163] In 1992, the IRS determined the Reagans had failed to include some $3 million worth of fashion items between 1983 and 1988 on their tax returns;[164] they were billed for a large amount of back taxes and interest, which was subsequently paid.[164]

After President Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1994, she made herself his primary caregiver, and became actively involved with the National Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago, Illinois.[13]

In April 1997, Nancy Reagan joined President Bill Clinton and former Presidents Ford and Bush in signing the Summit Declaration of Commitment in advocating for participation by private citizens in solving domestic issues within the United States.[165]

Nancy Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, by President George W. Bush on July 9, 2002.[166] President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993. Reagan and her husband were jointly awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on May 16, 2002, at the United States Capitol building, and were only the third president and first lady to receive it; she accepted the medal on behalf of both of them.[167]

Funeral for President Reagan Edit

Further information: Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan
 
Reagan says her last goodbye to President Ronald Reagan following a week-long state funeral, 2004

Ronald Reagan died in their Bel Air home on June 5, 2004.[156] During the seven-day state funeral, Nancy, accompanied by her children and military escort, led the nation in mourning.[168] She kept a strong composure,[169] traveling from her home to the Reagan Library for a memorial service, then to Washington, D.C., where her husband's body lay in state for 34 hours prior to a national funeral service in the Washington National Cathedral.[170] She returned to the library in Simi Valley for a sunset memorial service and interment, where, overcome with emotion, she lost her composure and cried in public for the first time during the week.[169][171] After receiving the folded flag, she kissed the casket and mouthed "I love you" before leaving.[172] During the week, CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer said, "She's a very, very strong woman, even though she looks frail."[173]

She had directed the detailed planning of the funeral,[169] which included scheduling all the major events and asking former President George H. W. Bush, as well as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, former Soviet Union Leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to speak during the National Cathedral Service.[169] She paid very close attention to the details, something she had always done in her husband's life. Betsy Bloomingdale, one of Reagan's closest friends, stated, "She looks a little frail. But she is very strong inside. She is. She has the strength. She is doing her last thing for Ronnie. And she is going to get it right."[169] The funeral marked her first major public appearance since she delivered a speech to the 1996 Republican National Convention on her husband's behalf.[169]

The funeral had a great impact on her public image. Following substantial criticism during her tenure as first lady, she was seen somewhat as a national heroine, praised by many for supporting and caring for her husband while he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[140] U.S. News & World Report opined, "after a decade in the shadows, a different, softer Nancy Reagan emerged."[174]

Widowhood Edit

Following her husband's death, Reagan remained active in politics, particularly relating to stem cell research. Beginning in 2004, she favored what many consider to be the Democratic Party's position, and urged President George W. Bush to support federally funded embryonic stem cell research, in the hope that this science could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's disease.[175] Although she failed to change the president's position, she did support his campaign for a second term.[176]

 
Reagan dedicates the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Library as President Bush and his wife Laura look on, October 2005

In 2005, Reagan was honored at a gala dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., where guests included Dick Cheney, Harry Reid, and Condoleezza Rice.[177]

In 2007, she attended the national funeral service for Gerald Ford in the Washington National Cathedral. Reagan hosted two 2008 Republican presidential debates at the Reagan Presidential Library, the first in May 2007 and the second in January 2008.[178][179][180] On March 25, she formally endorsed Senator John McCain, then the presumptive Republican party nominee for president, but McCain would go on to lose the election to Barack Obama.[181]

Reagan attended the funeral of Lady Bird Johnson in Austin, Texas, on July 14, 2007,[182] and three days later accepted the highest Polish distinction, the Order of the White Eagle, on behalf of Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Library. The Reagan Library opened the temporary exhibit "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style", which displayed over eighty designer dresses belonging to her.[183][184]

 
Reagan accepts the Order of the White Eagle from Polish President Lech Kaczyński on behalf of Ronald Reagan, July 15, 2007

Reagan's health and well-being became a prominent concern in 2008. In February, she suffered a fall at her Bel Air home and was taken to Saint John's Health Center in Santa Monica, California. Doctors reported that she did not break her hip as feared, and she was released from the hospital two days later.[185] News commentators noted that Reagan's step had slowed significantly, as the following month she walked in very slow strides with John McCain.[186]

In October 2008, Reagan was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after falling at home. Doctors determined that the 87-year-old had fractured her pelvis and sacrum, and could recuperate at home with a regimen of physical therapy.[187] As a result of her mishap, medical articles were published containing information on how to prevent falls.[188] In January 2009, Reagan was said to be "improving every day and starting to get out more and more".[189]

 
Reagan with First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House luncheon, June 3, 2009

In March 2009, she praised President Barack Obama for reversing the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.[190] She traveled to Washington, D.C. in June 2009 to unveil a statue of her late husband in the Capitol rotunda.[191] She was also on hand as President Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, and lunched privately with Michelle Obama.[192] Reagan revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that Michelle Obama had telephoned her for advice on living and entertaining in the White House.[193] Following the death of Senator Ted Kennedy in August 2009, she said she was "terribly saddened ... Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family ... I will miss him."[194] She attended the funeral of Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage, California, on July 12, 2011.[195]

Reagan hosted a 2012 Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Presidential Library on September 7, 2011.[196][197] She suffered a fall in March 2012.[198] Two months later, she endured several broken ribs, which prevented her from attending a speech given by Paul Ryan in the Reagan Presidential Library in May 2012.[198] She endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on May 31, 2012, explaining that her husband would have liked Romney's business background and what she called "strong principles".[196] Following the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in April 2013, she stated, "The world has lost a true champion of freedom and democracy ... Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend, and I will miss her."[199]

Death and funeral Edit

On March 6, 2016, Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 94.[200][201][202] On March 7, President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation ordering the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff until sunset on the day of Reagan's interment.[203]

External video
  Nancy Reagan funeral service, March 11, 2016, C-SPAN

Her funeral was held on March 11 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.[204][205] Representatives from ten first families were in attendance, including former president George W. Bush and first ladies Michelle Obama, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rosalynn Carter. The other representatives were presidential children Steven Ford, Tricia Nixon Cox, Luci Baines Johnson, and Caroline Kennedy, and presidential grandchild Anne Eisenhower Flottl.[206]

Other prominent individuals in attendance included California governor Jerry Brown and former governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson, then-former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, and former members of the Reagan administration, including George P. Shultz and Edwin Meese. A sizable contingent from the Hollywood entertainment industry attended as well, including Mr. T, Maria Shriver (Schwarzenegger's then-wife), Wayne Newton, Johnny Mathis, Anjelica Huston, John Stamos, Tom Selleck, Bo Derek, and Melissa Rivers. In all there were some 1,000 guests.[206]

Eulogies were given by former prime minister of Canada Brian Mulroney, former secretary of state James Baker, Diane Sawyer, Tom Brokaw, and her children Patti Davis and Ron Reagan. After the funeral, Nancy Reagan was interred next to her husband.[207][208]

Historical assessments Edit

Since 1982 Siena College Research Institute has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, accomplishments, integrity, leadership, being their own women, public image, and value to the president.[209] In terms of cumulative assessment Reagan has been ranked:

  • 39th-best of 42 in 1982[210]
  • 36th-best of 37 in 1993[210]
  • 28th-best of 38 in 2003[210]
  • 15th-best of 38 in 2008[210]
  • 15th-best of 39 in 2014[209]

In the 1993 Sienna Research Institute survey, the first conducted after Reagan left the White House, Reagan was assessed very poorly by historians, ranking the second-worst, with only Mary Todd Lincoln being given a worse assessment.[210] Reagan was ranked the lowest in half of the criteria (background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, and integrity).[211] Regard for Reagan has improved in subsequent iterations of the survey.[210] In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey, Reagan was ranked the 4th-highest in value to the president, but was ranked the lowest in integrity.[210] In the 2003 survey, Reagan ranked the 5th-highest in value to the president.[212] In the 2014 survey, Reagan and her husband were ranked the 16th-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".[213] In the 2014 survey, historians ranked Reagan among 20th and 21st century American first ladies as being the 5th greatest in terms of being a "political asset" and 5th greatest in terms of being a strong public communicator.[209]

Reagan and her husband have each posthumously experienced continued criticism for having, during their time in the White House, spent years publicly ignoring the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which began during her husband's presidency. The epidemic had initially predominantly impacted the male homosexual community. Reagan's great extended public silence on this matter has been contrasted with her coinciding vocalness against drug use. Reagan's extended failure to give significant public acknowledgement of this epidemic has been seen as one of the greatest detractions in her retrospective public regard.[214][215][216][217] However, there has been reporting to suggest that, privately, Reagan did unsuccessfully urge her husband's administration to address the epidemic.[218]

Awards and honors Edit

 
Reagan receiving an honorary degree from Eureka College, 2009

As noted earlier, Nancy Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002[166] and the Congressional Gold Medal, in the same year.[167] In 1989, she received the Council of Fashion Designers of America's lifetime achievement award.[95]

As First Lady, Nancy Reagan received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Pepperdine University in 1983.[219] Later, she received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Eureka College in Illinois, her husband's alma mater, in 2009.[220]

Filmography Edit

As Nancy Davis, she also made a number of television appearances from 1953 to 1962, as a guest star in dramatic shows or installments of anthology series. These included Ford Television Theatre (her first appearance with Ronald Reagan came during a 1953 episode titled "First Born"), Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre (appearing with Ronald Reagan in the 1961 episode "The Long Shadow"), Wagon Train, The Tall Man, and General Electric Theater (hosted by Ronald Reagan).

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Further reading Edit

Further information: Bibliography of Ronald Reagan
  • Anthony, Carl Sferrazza (2003). America's Most Influential First Ladies. The Oliver Press. ISBN 978-1-881508-69-4.
  • Anthony, Carl Sferrazza (1991). First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power; 1961–1990 (Volume II). New York: William Morrow and Co.
  • Benze, James G. Jr. (2005). Nancy Reagan: On the White House Stage. Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1401-1.
  • Beschloss, Michael (2007). Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-0-684-85705-3.
  • Brower, Kate Andersen (2015). The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House. New York: Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-230519-0.
  • Burns, Lisa M. (2008). First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. ISBN 978-0-87580-391-3.
  • Cannon, Lou (2003). Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power. Public Affairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-030-1.
  • Deaver, Michael K. (2004). Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-078095-1.
  • Gale Literature. "Nancy Reagan." in Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors (Gale, 2016) online
  • Kelley, Kitty (1991). Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-0671646462.
  • Klapthor, Margaret Brown (1999). Official White House China: 1789 to the Present. Harry N. Abrams. ISBN 978-0-8109-3993-6.
  • Leamer, Laurence. Make-Believe: The Story of Nancy and Ronald Reagan (Harper, 1983).
  • Loizeau, Pierre-Marie (2004). Nancy Reagan: The Woman Behind the Man. Nova Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59033-759-2.
  • Loizeau, Pierre-Marie (2005). Nancy Reagan in Perspective. Nova Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7425-2970-0.
  • Metzger, Robert Paul (1989). Reagan, American Icon. Bucknell University, Center Gallery. ISBN 978-0-916279-05-9.
  • Nyberg, Ferdinand. "Nancy Reagan in the ghetto. On space as mediator between structure and event." InterDisciplines. Journal of History and Sociology 7.2 (2016). online
  • Reagan, Nancy; Reagan, Ronald (2000). I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-375-50554-6.
  • Reagan, Nancy; Novak, William (1989). My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-0-394-56368-8. H. W. Brands Reagan: The Life (2015) p. 743 says "she wrote one of the most candid and at times self-critical memoirs in recent American political history."
  • Reagan, Nancy; Libby, Bill (1980). Nancy: The Autobiography of America's First Lady. United States: HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-688-03533-4.
  • Reagan, Nancy; Wilkie, Jane (1982). To Love a Child. United States: Bobbs-Merrill. ISBN 978-0-672-52711-1.
  • Roberts, Jason. "Nancy Reagan." in Katherine A.S. Sibley, ed., A Companion to First Ladies (2016): 585–603.
  • Schifando, Peter; Joseph, J. Jonathan (2007). Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan. New York: William Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-135012-2.
  • Wertheimer, Molly Meijer (2004). Nancy Reagan in Perspective. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7425-2970-0.
  • Wills, Garry (1987). Reagan's America: Innocents at Home. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-18286-7.

External links Edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nancy Reagan.
 
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Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of California
1967–1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by First Lady of the United States
1981–1989 		Succeeded by

October 10, 2023
nancy, reagan, nancy, davis, redirects, here, other, people, with, same, name, nancy, davis, disambiguation, nancy, davis, reagan, born, anne, frances, robbins, july, 1921, march, 2016, american, film, actress, first, lady, united, states, from, 1981, 1989, se. Nancy Davis redirects here For other people with the same name see Nancy Davis disambiguation Nancy Davis Reagan ˈ r eɪ ɡ en born Anne Frances Robbins July 6 1921 March 6 2016 was an American film actress and the First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989 as the second wife of president Ronald Reagan Nancy ReaganOfficial portrait 1983First Lady of the United StatesIn role January 20 1981 January 20 1989PresidentRonald ReaganPreceded byRosalynn CarterSucceeded byBarbara BushFirst Lady of CaliforniaIn role January 2 1967 January 6 1975GovernorRonald ReaganPreceded byBernice BrownSucceeded byGloria Deukmejian 1983 Personal detailsBornAnne Frances Robbins 1921 07 06 July 6 1921New York City U S DiedMarch 6 2016 2016 03 06 aged 94 Los Angeles California U S Resting placeRonald Reagan Presidential Library and MuseumPolitical partyRepublicanSpouseRonald Reagan m 1952 died 2004 wbr ChildrenPattiRonParentsLoyal Davis adoptive Kenneth Seymour Robbins biological Edith Luckett DavisEducationSmith College BA SignatureNancy Reagan s voice source source Nancy Reagan on the federal drug policy of the United StatesRecorded October 2 1982Reagan was born in New York City After her parents separated she lived in Maryland with an aunt and uncle for six years When her mother remarried in 1929 she moved to Chicago and later was adopted by her mother s second husband As Nancy Davis she was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 1950s starring in films such as The Next Voice You Hear Night into Morning and Donovan s Brain In 1952 she married Ronald Reagan who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild He had two children from his previous marriage to Jane Wyman 1 and he and Nancy had two children together Nancy Reagan was the First Lady of California when her husband was governor from 1967 to 1975 and she began to work with the Foster Grandparents Program Reagan became First Lady of the United States in January 1981 following her husband s victory in the 1980 presidential election Early in his first term she was criticized largely due to her decisions both to replace the White House china which had been paid for by private donations and to accept free clothing from fashion designers She championed causes opposed to recreational drug use when she founded the Just Say No drug awareness campaign which was considered her major initiative as First Lady More discussion of her role ensued following a 1988 revelation that she had consulted an astrologer to assist in planning the president s schedule after the attempted assassination of her husband in 1981 She generally had a strong influence on her husband and played a role in a few of his personnel and diplomatic decisions The couple returned to their home in Bel Air Los Angeles California after Reagan s time in office Nancy devoted most of her time to caring for her husband who was diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease in 1994 until his death at the age of 93 on June 5 2004 Reagan remained active within the Reagan Library and in politics particularly in support of embryonic stem cell research until her death from congestive heart failure at age 94 in 2016 Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Acting career 3 Marriage and family 4 First Lady of California 1967 1975 5 Role in 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns 6 First Lady of the United States 1981 1989 6 1 White House glamour 6 1 1 Renovation 6 1 2 Fashion 6 1 3 Extravagance 6 2 Just Say No 6 3 Her husband s protector 6 4 Astrological consultations 6 5 Influence in the White House 6 6 Breast cancer 7 Later life 7 1 Early post White House activities 7 2 Funeral for President Reagan 7 3 Widowhood 8 Death and funeral 9 Historical assessments 10 Awards and honors 11 Filmography 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External linksEarly life and education Edit nbsp Young Reagan with her mother actress Edith Luckett in January 1931 Anne Frances Robbins was born on July 6 1921 at Sloane Hospital for Women in Uptown Manhattan 1 2 3 4 5 Davis gave her birth date as July 6 1923 a date cited through most of her life She was of English descent She was the only child of Kenneth Seymour Robbins 1892 1972 a farmer 6 turned car salesman who had been born into a once well to do family 1 7 8 and his actress wife Edith Prescott Luckett 1888 1987 9 10 11 12 13 Her godmother was silent film star Alla Nazimova 14 From birth she was commonly called Nancy 15 Robbins lived her first two years in Flushing Queens a neighborhood of New York City in a two story house on Roosevelt Avenue between 149th and 150th Streets 16 Her parents separated soon after her birth and were divorced in 1928 1 13 17 After their separation her mother traveled the country to pursue acting jobs and Robbins was raised in Bethesda Maryland for six years by her aunt Virginia Luckett and uncle Audley Gailbraith where she attended Sidwell Friends School for kindergarten through second grade 1 17 Nancy later described longing for her mother during those years My favorite times were when Mother had a job in New York and Aunt Virgie would take me by train to stay with her 18 In 1929 her mother married Loyal Edward Davis 1896 1982 a prominent conservative neurosurgeon who moved the family to Chicago 1 2 Nancy and her stepfather got along very well 19 she later wrote that he was a man of great integrity who exemplified old fashioned values 20 He formally adopted her in 1938 2 and she would always refer to him as her father 19 At the time of the adoption her name was legally changed to Nancy Davis 15 She attended the Girls Latin School of Chicago describing herself as an average student from 1929 until she graduated in 1939 and later attended Smith College in Massachusetts where she majored in English and drama graduating in 1943 13 21 Acting career Edit nbsp Davis c 1949 50In 1940 a young Davis had appeared as a National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis volunteer in a memorable short subject film shown in movie theaters to raise donations for the crusade against polio The Crippler featured a sinister figure spreading over playgrounds and farms laughing over its victims until finally dispelled by the volunteer It was very effective in raising contributions 22 Following her graduation from college Davis held jobs in Chicago as a sales clerk in Marshall Field s department store and as a nurse s aide 13 With the help of her mother s colleagues in theatre including ZaSu Pitts Walter Huston and Spencer Tracy 19 she pursued a professional career as an actress She first gained a part in Pitts 1945 road tour of Ramshackle Inn 2 13 moving to New York City She landed the role of Si Tchun a lady in waiting 23 in the 1946 Broadway musical about the Orient Lute Song starring Mary Martin and a pre fame Yul Brynner 13 The show s producer told her You look like you could be Chinese 24 After passing a screen test 13 she moved to California and signed a seven year contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios Inc MGM in 1949 2 she later remarked Joining Metro was like walking into a dream world 25 Her combination of attractive appearance centered on her large eyes and somewhat distant and understated manner made her hard at first for MGM to cast and publicize 26 Davis appeared in eleven feature films usually typecast as a loyal housewife 27 responsible young mother or the steady woman 28 Jane Powell Debbie Reynolds Leslie Caron and Janet Leigh were among the actresses with whom she competed for roles at MGM 26 nbsp Davis in 1950Davis film career began with small supporting roles in two films that were released in 1949 The Doctor and the Girl with Glenn Ford and East Side West Side starring Barbara Stanwyck 29 She played a child psychiatrist in the film noir Shadow on the Wall 1950 with Ann Sothern and Zachary Scott her performance was called beautiful and convincing by New York Times critic A H Weiler 30 She co starred in 1950 s The Next Voice You Hear playing a pregnant housewife who hears the voice of God from her radio Influential reviewer Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote that Nancy Davis is delightful as a gentle plain and understanding wife 31 In 1951 Davis appeared in Night into Morning her favorite screen role 32 a study of bereavement starring Ray Milland Crowther said that Davis does nicely as the fiancee who is widowed herself and knows the loneliness of grief 33 while another noted critic The Washington Post s Richard L Coe said Davis is splendid as the understanding widow 34 MGM released Davis from her contract in 1952 35 she sought a broader range of parts 36 but also married Reagan keeping her professional name as Davis and had her first child that year 35 She soon starred in the science fiction film Donovan s Brain 1953 Crowther said that Davis playing the role of a possessed scientist s sadly baffled wife walked through it all in stark confusion in an utterly silly film 37 In her next to last movie Hellcats of the Navy 1957 she played nurse Lieutenant Helen Blair and appeared in a film for the only time with her husband playing what one critic called a housewife who came along for the ride 38 Another reviewer however stated that Davis plays her part satisfactorily and does well with what she has to work with 39 nbsp Nancy and Ronald Reagan aboard a boat 1964Author Garry Wills has said that Davis was generally underrated as an actress because her constrained part in Hellcats was her most widely seen performance 28 In addition Davis downplayed her Hollywood goals promotional material from MGM in 1949 said that her greatest ambition was to have a successful happy marriage decades later in 1975 she would say I was never really a career woman but became one only because I hadn t found the man I wanted to marry I couldn t sit around and do nothing so I became an actress 28 Ronald Reagan biographer Lou Cannon nevertheless characterized her as a reliable and solid performer who held her own in performances with better known actors 28 After her final film Crash Landing 1958 Davis appeared for a brief time as a guest star in television dramas such as the Zane Grey Theatre episode The Long Shadow 1961 where she played opposite Ronald Reagan as well as Wagon Train and The Tall Man until she retired as an actress in 1962 29 During her career Davis served for nearly ten years on the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild 40 Decades later Albert Brooks attempted to coax her out of acting retirement by offering her the title role opposite himself in his 1996 film Mother 41 She declined in order to care for her husband and Debbie Reynolds played the part 41 Marriage and family Edit nbsp Newlyweds Ronald and Nancy Reagan March 4 1952During her Hollywood career Davis dated many actors including Clark Gable Robert Stack and Peter Lawford 35 she later called Gable the nicest of the stars she had met 19 On November 15 1949 she met Ronald Reagan 42 who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild She had noticed that her name had appeared on the Hollywood blacklist Davis sought Reagan s help to maintain her employment as a guild actress in Hollywood and for assistance in having her name removed from the list 19 Ronald Reagan informed her that she had been confused with another actress of the same name 19 The two began dating and their relationship was the subject of many gossip columns one Hollywood press account described their nightclub free times together as the romance of a couple who have no vices 42 Ronald Reagan was skeptical about marriage however following his painful 1949 divorce from Jane Wyman and he still saw other women 42 After three years of dating they eventually decided to marry while discussing the issue in the couple s favorite booth at Chasen s a restaurant in Beverly Hills 42 The couple wed on March 4 1952 at the Little Brown Church in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles in a simple hastily arranged ceremony designed to avoid the press the marriage was her first and his second 43 The only people in attendance were fellow actor William Holden the best man and his wife actress Brenda Marshall the matron of honor 42 44 Nancy was likely already pregnant the couple s first child Patricia Ann Reagan later better known by her professional name Patti Davis was born less than eight months later on October 21 1952 Their son Ronald Prescott Reagan later better known as Ron Reagan was born six years later on May 20 1958 Reagan also became stepmother to Maureen Reagan 1941 2001 and Michael Reagan b 1945 her husband s children from his marriage to Jane Wyman nbsp Matron of honor Brenda Marshall and best man William Holden sole guests at the Reagans wedding flank the newlywed coupleObservers described Nancy and Ronald s relationship as intimate 45 As president and first lady the Reagans were reported to display their affection frequently with one press secretary noting They never took each other for granted They never stopped courting 46 47 Ronald often called Nancy Mommy she called him Ronnie 47 While the president was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt Nancy wrote in her diary Nothing can happen to my Ronnie My life would be over 48 In a letter to Nancy Ronald wrote whatever I treasure and enjoy all would be without meaning if I didn t have you 49 In 1998 a few years after her husband had been given a diagnosis of Alzheimer s disease Nancy told Vanity Fair Our relationship is very special We were very much in love and still are When I say my life began with Ronnie well it s true It did I can t imagine life without him 46 Nancy was known for the focused and attentive look termed the Gaze that she fastened upon her husband during his speeches and appearances 50 President Reagan s death in June 2004 ended what Charlton Heston called the greatest love affair in the history of the American Presidency 46 nbsp The Reagan family c 1967Nancy s relationship with her children was not always as close as the bond with her husband She frequently quarreled with her children and her stepchildren Her relationship with Patti was the most contentious Patti flouted American conservatism rebelled against her parents by joining the nuclear freeze movement and authored many anti Reagan books 51 The nearly 20 years of family feuding left Patti very much estranged from both her mother and father 52 Soon after her father s Alzheimer s disease was diagnosed Patti and her mother reconciled and began to speak on a daily basis 53 Nancy s disagreements with Michael were also public matters in 1984 she was quoted as saying that the two were in an estrangement right now Michael responded that Nancy was trying to cover up for the fact she had not met his daughter Ashley who had been born nearly a year earlier 54 They too eventually made peace Nancy was thought to be closest to her stepdaughter Maureen during the White House years but each of the Reagan children experienced periods of estrangement from their parents 46 First Lady of California 1967 1975 Edit nbsp Reagan as the first lady of CaliforniaNancy Reagan was First Lady of California during her husband s two terms as governor She disliked living in the state capital of Sacramento which lacked the excitement social life and mild climate to which she was accustomed in Los Angeles 55 She first attracted controversy early in 1967 after four months residence in the California Governor s Mansion in Sacramento she moved her family into a wealthy suburb because fire officials had labelled the mansion as a firetrap 56 Though the Reagans had leased the new house at their expense 55 the move was viewed as snobbish when the matter was brought to the attention of the general public Reagan defended her actions as being for the good of her family a judgment with which her husband readily agreed 55 56 Friends of the family later helped support the cost of the leased house while Reagan supervised construction of a new ranch style governor s residence in nearby Carmichael 57 The new residence was finished just as Ronald Reagan left office in 1975 but his successor Jerry Brown refused to live there It was sold in 1982 and California governors lived in improvised arrangements until Brown moved into the Governor s Mansion in 2015 57 58 In 1967 Governor Reagan appointed his wife to the California Arts Commission 59 and a year later she was named Los Angeles Times Woman of the Year in its profile the Times labeled her A Model First Lady 60 Her glamour style and youthfulness made her a frequent subject for press photographers 61 As first lady Reagan visited veterans the elderly and the handicapped and worked with a number of charities She became involved with the Foster Grandparents Program 62 helping to popularize it in the United States and Australia 63 She later expanded her work with the organization after arriving in Washington 62 and wrote about her experiences in her 1982 book To Love a Child 64 The Reagans held dinners for former POWs and Vietnam War veterans while governor and first lady 65 Role in 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns EditMain articles 1976 United States presidential election and 1980 United States presidential election Governor Reagan s gubernatorial time in office ended in 1975 and he did not run for a third term instead he met with advisors to discuss a possible bid for the 1976 presidency challenging incumbent President Gerald Ford Ronald still needed to convince a reluctant Nancy before running however 66 She feared for her husband s health and his career as a whole though she felt that he was the right man for the job and eventually approved 67 Nancy took on a traditional role in the campaign holding coffees luncheons and talks 67 She also oversaw personnel monitored her husband s schedule and occasionally provided press conferences 68 The 1976 campaign included the so called battle of the queens contrasting Nancy with First Lady Betty Ford They both spoke out over the course of the campaign on similar issues but with different approaches 69 Nancy was upset by the warmonger image that the Ford campaign had drawn of her husband 67 Though he lost the 1976 Republican nomination Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency a second time in 1980 He succeeded in winning the nomination and defeated incumbent rival Jimmy Carter in a landslide During this second campaign Nancy played a prominent role and her management of staff became more apparent 68 She organized a meeting among feuding campaign managers John Sears and Michael Deaver and her husband which resulted in Deaver leaving the campaign and Sears being given full control After the Reagan camp lost the Iowa Caucus and fell behind in New Hampshire polls Nancy organized a second meeting and decided it was time to fire Sears and his associates she gave Sears a copy of the press release announcing his dismissal 68 Her influence on her husband became particularly notable her presence at rallies luncheons and receptions increased his confidence 70 First Lady of the United States 1981 1989 EditWhite House glamour Edit Renovation Edit nbsp The new president and his wife wave to the crowd during the Inaugural Parade January 20 1981 the same day that 52 Americans held hostage by Iran for 444 days were set freeReagan became the first lady of the United States when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as president in January 1981 Early in her husband s presidency Reagan stated her desire to create a more suitable first home in the White House as the building had fallen into a state of disrepair following years of neglect 71 White House aide Michael Deaver described the second and third floor family residence as having cracked plaster walls chipped paint and beaten up floors 72 rather than use government funds to renovate and redecorate she sought private donations 13 In 1981 Reagan directed a major renovation of several White House rooms including all of the second and third floors 73 and rooms adjacent to the Oval Office including the press briefing room 74 The renovation included repainting walls refinishing floors repairing fireplaces and replacing antique pipes windows and wires 72 The closet in the master bedroom was converted into a beauty parlor and dressing room and the West bedroom was made into a small gymnasium 75 The first lady secured the assistance of renowned interior designer Ted Graber popular with affluent West Coast social figures to redecorate the family living quarters 76 A Chinese pattern handpainted wallpaper was added to the master bedroom 77 Family furniture was placed in the president s private study 76 The first lady and her designer retrieved a number of White House antiques which had been in storage and placed them throughout the mansion 76 In addition many of Reagan s own collectibles were put out for display including around twenty five Limoges Boxes as well as some porcelain eggs and a collection of plates 78 The extensive redecoration was paid for by private donations 13 76 Many significant and long lasting changes occurred as a result of the renovation and refurbishment of which Reagan said This house belongs to all Americans and I want it to be something of which they can be proud 76 The renovations received some criticisms for being funded by tax deductible donations meaning some of it eventually did indirectly come from the tax paying public 79 Fashion Edit Reagan s interest in fashion was another one of her trademarks While her husband was still president elect press reports speculated about Reagan s social life and interest in fashion 80 81 82 In many press accounts Reagan s sense of style was favorably compared to that of a previous first lady Jacqueline Kennedy 83 Friends and those close to her remarked that while fashionable like Kennedy she would be different from other first ladies close friend Harriet Deutsch was quoted as saying Nancy has her own imprint 81 White House photographer Mary Anne Fackelman Miner who was assigned to Reagan said of her She always photographed so easily and was at ease in front of the cameras 84 Reagan s wardrobe consisted of dresses gowns and suits made by luxury designers including James Galanos Bill Blass and Oscar de la Renta Her white hand beaded one shoulder Galanos 1981 inaugural gown was estimated to cost 10 000 85 while the overall price of her inaugural wardrobe was said to cost 25 000 86 She favored the color red calling it a picker upper and wore it accordingly 85 Her wardrobe included red so often that the fire engine shade became known as Reagan red 87 She employed two private hairdressers who would style her hair on a regular basis in the White House 88 nbsp Reagan models for Vogue in the Red Room 1981Fashion designers were pleased with the emphasis Reagan placed on clothing 86 Adolfo said the first lady embodied an elegant affluent well bred chic American look 86 while Bill Blass commented I don t think there s been anyone in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has her flair 86 William Fine president of cosmetic company Frances Denney noted that she stays in style but she doesn t become trendy 86 Though her elegant fashions and wardrobe were hailed as a glamorous paragon of chic 86 they were also controversial subjects In 1982 she revealed that she had accepted thousands of dollars in clothing jewelry and other gifts but defended her actions by stating that she had borrowed the clothes and that they would either be returned or donated to museums 85 89 and that she was promoting the American fashion industry 90 Facing criticism she soon said she would no longer accept such loans 90 While often buying her clothes she continued to borrow and sometimes keep designer clothes throughout her time as first lady which came to light in 1988 91 None of this had been included on financial disclosure forms 91 the non reporting of loans under 10 000 in liability was in violation of a voluntary agreement the White House had made in 1982 while not reporting more valuable loans or clothes not returned was a possible violation of the Ethics in Government Act 91 92 93 Reagan expressed through her press secretary regrets that she failed to heed counsel s advice on disclosing them 93 Despite the controversy many designers who allowed her to borrow clothing noted that the arrangement was good for their businesses 91 as well as for the American fashion industry overall 94 In 1989 Reagan was honored at the annual gala awards dinner of the Council of Fashion Designers of America during which she received the council s lifetime achievement award 95 Barbara Walters said of her She has served every day for eight long years the word style 95 Extravagance Edit Approximately a year into her husband s first term Nancy explored the idea of ordering new state china service for the White House 96 A full china service had not been purchased since the Truman administration in the 1940s as only a partial service was ordered in the Johnson administration 96 She was quoted as saying The White House really badly badly needs china 96 Working with Lenox the primary porcelain manufacturer in America the first lady chose a design scheme of a red with etched gold band bordering the scarlet and cream colored ivory plates with a raised presidential seal etched in gold in the center 96 The full service comprised 4 370 pieces with 19 pieces per individual set 96 The service totaled 209 508 97 Although it was paid for by private donations some from the private J P Knapp Foundation the purchase generated quite a controversy for it was ordered at a time when the nation was undergoing an economic recession 98 Furthermore news of the china purchase emerged at the same time that her husband s administration had proposed school lunch regulations that would allow ketchup to be counted as a vegetable 99 nbsp President Reagan First Lady Nancy Reagan and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis at a fundraiser for the Kennedy Presidential Library 1985The new china set White House renovations expensive clothing and her attendance at the wedding of Charles and Diana Prince and Princess of Wales 100 gave her an aura of being out of touch with the American people during the recession 13 This built upon the reputation she had coming to Washington wherein many people concluded that Reagan was a vain and shallow woman 99 and her taste for splendor inspired the derogatory nickname Queen Nancy 13 While Jacqueline Kennedy had also faced some press criticism for her spending habits Reagan s treatment was much more consistent and negative 83 In an attempt to deflect the criticism she self deprecatingly donned a baglady costume at the 1982 Gridiron Dinner and sang Second Hand Clothes mimicking the song Second Hand Rose 101 The skit helped to restore her reputation 102 Reagan reflected on the criticisms in her 1989 autobiography My Turn She described lunching with former Democratic National Committee chairman Robert S Strauss wherein Strauss said to her When you first came to town Nancy I didn t like you at all But after I got to know you I changed my mind and said She s some broad Reagan responded Bob based on the press reports I read then I wouldn t have liked me either 103 nbsp Vice President George H W Bush Reagan and Raisa Gorbacheva spouse of Mikhail Gorbachev in Washington D C 1987After the presidency of Jimmy Carter who dramatically reduced the formality of presidential functions Reagan brought a Kennedy esque glamour back into the White House 85 104 She hosted 56 state dinners over eight years 105 She remarked that hosting the dinners is the easiest thing in the world You don t have to do anything Just have a good time and do a little business And that s the way Washington works 105 The White House residence staff found Reagan demanding to work for during the preparation for the state dinners with the first lady overseeing every aspect of meal presentations and sometimes requesting one dessert after another be prepared before finally settling on one she approved of 106 In general the first lady s desire for everything to appear just right in the White House led the residence staff to consider her not easy to work for with tirades following what she perceived as mistakes 107 One staffer later recalled I remember hearing her call for her personal maid one day and it scared the dickens out of me just her tone I never wanted to be on the wrong side of her 108 She did show loyalty and respect to a number of the staff 109 In particular she came to the public defense of a maid who was indicted on charges of helping to smuggle ammunition to Paraguay providing an affidavit to the maid s good character even though it was politically inopportune to do so at the time of the Iran Contra affair charges were subsequently dropped and the maid returned to work at the White House 110 111 In 1987 Mikhail Gorbachev became the first Soviet leader to visit Washington D C since Nikita Khrushchev made the trip in 1959 at the height of the Cold War Nancy was in charge of planning and hosting the important and highly anticipated state dinner with the goal to impress both the Soviet leader and especially his wife Raisa Gorbacheva 112 113 After the meal she recruited pianist Van Cliburn to play a rendition of Moscow Nights for the Soviet delegation to which Mikhail and Raisa broke out into song 114 Secretary of State George P Shultz later commented on the evening saying We felt the ice of the Cold War crumbling 115 Reagan concluded It was a perfect ending for one of the great evenings of my husband s presidency 116 Just Say No Edit Main article Just Say No The first lady launched the Just Say No drug awareness campaign in 1982 which was her primary project and major initiative as first lady 13 Reagan first became aware of the need to educate young people about drugs during a 1980 campaign stop in Daytop village New York 117 She remarked in 1981 that Understanding what drugs can do to your children understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is the first step in solving the problem 117 Her campaign focused on drug education and informing the youth of the danger of drug abuse 117 nbsp Reagan gives a speech at a Just Say No to drugs rally in Los Angeles 1987In 1982 Reagan was asked by a schoolgirl what to do when offered drugs Reagan responded Just say no 118 119 The phrase proliferated in the popular culture of the 1980s and was eventually adopted as the name of club organizations and school anti drug programs 13 Reagan became actively involved by traveling more than 250 000 miles 400 000 km throughout the United States and several nations visiting drug abuse prevention programs and drug rehabilitation centers She also appeared on television talk shows recorded public service announcements and wrote guest articles 13 She appeared in an episode of the sitcom Diff rent Strokes to underscore support for the Just Say No campaign and in a rock music video Stop the Madness 1985 120 In 1985 Reagan expanded the campaign to an international level by inviting the First Ladies of various nations to the White House for a conference on drug abuse 13 On October 27 1986 President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law which granted 1 7 billion in funding to fight the perceived crisis and ensured a mandatory minimum penalty for drug offenses 121 Although the bill was criticized Reagan considered it a personal victory 13 In 1988 she became the first active first lady invited to address the United Nations General Assembly where she spoke on international drug interdiction and trafficking laws 13 nbsp Reagan hosting the first White House Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse 1985Critics of Reagan s efforts questioned their purpose 122 labelled Reagan s approach to promoting drug awareness as simplistic 71 and argued that the program did not give adequate attention to various social issues associated with increased rates of drug use including unemployment poverty and family dissolution 122 Her husband s protector Edit Reagan assumed the role of unofficial protector for her husband after the attempted assassination of him in 1981 123 On March 30 of that year President Reagan and three others were shot by the attempted assassin 25 year old John Hinckley Jr as they left the Washington Hilton hotel Nancy was alerted and arrived at George Washington University Hospital where the President was hospitalized She recalled having seen emergency rooms before but I had never seen one like this with my husband in it 124 She was escorted into a waiting room and when granted access to see her husband he quipped to her Honey I forgot to duck borrowing the defeated boxer Jack Dempsey s jest to his wife 125 An early example of the first lady s protective nature occurred when Senator Strom Thurmond entered the President s hospital room that day in March passing the Secret Service detail by claiming he was the President s close friend presumably to acquire media attention 126 Nancy was outraged and demanded that he leave 48 While the President recuperated in the hospital the first lady slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent 48 When Ronald Reagan was released from the hospital on April 12 she escorted him back to the White House Press accounts framed Reagan as her husband s chief protector an extension of their general initial framing of her as a helpmate and a Cold War domestic ideal 127 As it happened the day after her husband was shot she fell off a chair while trying to take down a picture to bring to him in the hospital she suffered several broken ribs but was determined to not reveal it publicly 128 Astrological consultations Edit nbsp The Gaze Reagan watches as her husband is sworn in for a second term by Chief Justice Warren Burger on January 20 1985 During the Reagan administration Nancy Reagan consulted a San Francisco astrologer Joan Quigley who provided advice on which days and times would be optimal for the president s safety and success 13 129 Quigley began her work at the White House after the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981 Nancy Reagan was told by Merv Griffin that Quigley had predicted that day would be dangerous for President Reagan causing her to become a regular astrological consultant for the administration 130 Quigley previously worked on the Reagan campaign prior to serving as their astrological consultant She volunteered for their campaign in 1980 as she was impressed by his astrological chart Private lines were set up in the White House and Camp David to assist in phone calls between Nancy Reagan and Joan Quigley which occurred multiple times a day and she was paid 3 000 a month for her work 131 White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan grew frustrated with this regimen which created friction between him and the first lady This friction escalated with the revelation of the Iran Contra affair an administration scandal in which the first lady felt Regan was damaging the president clarification needed 132 She thought he should resign and expressed this to her husband although he did not share her view Regan wanted President Reagan to address the Iran Contra matter in early 1987 by means of a press conference though the first lady refused to allow her husband to overexert himself due to a recent prostate surgery and astrological warnings 133 She became so angry with Regan that he hung up on her during a 1987 telephone conversation According to the recollections of ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson when the President heard of this treatment he demanded and eventually received Regan s resignation 134 Vice President George H W Bush is also reported to have suggested to her to have Regan fired 135 In his 1988 memoir For the Record From Wall Street to Washington Regan wrote the following about Nancy Reagan s consultations with an astrologer Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco Quigley who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise 136 137 Donald Regan s memoir went on to cause political discourse as well as scrutiny of the astrological community as he exposed the most closely guarded secret of the Reagan administration Although he did not know Quigley s name at the time he wrote extensively on her role in the White House 131 Regan further claimed that Quigley selected the date of the 1985 Geneva Summit For her part Quigley stated in 1998 that she had absolutely nothing to do with arranging the summit and added that others were overemphasizing her role 137 however in 1990 she released a book in which she asserted that she was in charge of the President s scheduling during the Reagan administration 129 Reagan acknowledged in her memoirs that she altered the President s schedule without his knowledge based on astrological advice but argues that no political decision was ever based on astrology 138 She added Astrology was simply one of the ways I coped with the fear I felt after my husband almost died Was astrology one of the reasons further attempts did not occur I don t really believe it was but I don t really believe it wasn t 139 nbsp Nancy and Ronald Reagan together in the Oval Office 1985Influence in the White House Edit Nancy Reagan wielded a powerful influence over President Reagan 140 In her memoirs Reagan stated I felt panicky every time Ronald Reagan left the White House 141 Following the assassination attempt she strictly controlled access to the president 13 140 occasionally she even attempted to influence her husband s decision making 142 Beginning in 1985 she strongly encouraged her husband to hold summit conferences with Soviet general secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and suggested they form a personal relationship beforehand 13 Both Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev had developed a productive relationship through their summit negotiations The relationship between Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbacheva was anything but the friendly diplomatic one between their husbands Reagan found Gorbacheva hard to converse with and their relationship was described as frosty 143 The two women usually had tea and discussed differences between the USSR and the United States Visiting the United States for the first time in 1987 Gorbacheva irked Reagan with lectures on subjects ranging from architecture to socialism reportedly prompting the American president s wife to quip Who does that dame think she is 144 Press framing of Reagan changed from that of just helpmate and protector to someone with hidden power 145 As the image of her as a political interloper grew she sought to explicitly deny that she was the power behind the throne 145 At the end of her time as First Lady however she said that her husband had not been well served by his staff 145 146 She acknowledged her role in reaction in influencing him on personnel decisions saying In no way do I apologize for it 146 She wrote in her memoirs I don t think I was as bad or as extreme in my power or my weakness as I was depicted 147 but went on However the first lady fits in she has a unique and important role to play in looking after her husband And it s only natural that she ll let him know what she thinks I always did that for Ronnie and I always will 148 Breast cancer Edit In October 1987 a mammogram detected a lesion in Reagan s left breast and she was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer She chose to undergo a mastectomy rather than a lumpectomy 149 and the breast was removed on October 17 1987 Ten days after the operation her 99 year old mother Edith Luckett Davis died in Phoenix Arizona leading Reagan to dub the period a terrible month 150 After the surgery more women across the country had mammograms which exemplified the influence that the first lady possessed 151 Later life EditThough Reagan was a controversial first lady 56 percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of her when her husband left office on January 20 1989 with 18 percent having an unfavorable opinion and the balance not giving an opinion 152 Compared to fellow First Ladies when their husbands left office Reagan s approval was higher than those of Rosalynn Carter Hillary Clinton and Melania Trump However she was less popular than Barbara Bush and Michelle Obama and her disapproval rating was double that of Carter s 152 nbsp Reagan s official White House portrait in the Vermeil RoomUpon leaving the White House the couple returned to California where wealthy friends purchased them a home at 668 St Cloud Road in the wealthy East Gate Old Bel Air neighborhood of Bel Air Los Angeles 153 154 dividing their time between Bel Air and the Reagan Ranch in Santa Barbara California Ronald and Nancy regularly attended the Bel Air Church as well 155 After leaving Washington Reagan made numerous public appearances many on behalf of her husband She continued to reside at the Bel Air home where she lived with her husband until he died on June 5 2004 156 Early post White House activities Edit In late 1989 the former first lady established the Nancy Reagan Foundation which aimed to continue to educate people about the dangers of substance abuse 157 The Foundation teamed with the BEST Foundation For A Drug Free Tomorrow in 1994 and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program She continued to travel around the United States speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse Ronnie s long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him Nancy Reagan May 2004 140 Her memoirs My Turn The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan 1989 are an account of her life in the White House commenting openly about her influence within the Reagan administration and discussing the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple 158 In 1991 the author Kitty Kelley wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Reagan repeating accounts of a poor relationship with her children and introducing rumors of alleged sexual relations with singer Frank Sinatra A wide range of sources commented that Kelley s largely unsupported claims are most likely false 159 160 161 162 In 1989 the IRS Internal Revenue Service began investigating the Reagans over allegations they owed additional tax on the gifts and loans of high fashion clothes and jewellery to the first lady during their time in the White House 163 recipients benefiting from the display of such items recognize taxable income even if they are returned 163 In 1992 the IRS determined the Reagans had failed to include some 3 million worth of fashion items between 1983 and 1988 on their tax returns 164 they were billed for a large amount of back taxes and interest which was subsequently paid 164 After President Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer s disease in 1994 she made herself his primary caregiver and became actively involved with the National Alzheimer s Association and its affiliate the Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute in Chicago Illinois 13 In April 1997 Nancy Reagan joined President Bill Clinton and former Presidents Ford and Bush in signing the Summit Declaration of Commitment in advocating for participation by private citizens in solving domestic issues within the United States 165 Nancy Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom the nation s highest civilian honor by President George W Bush on July 9 2002 166 President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993 Reagan and her husband were jointly awarded the Congressional Gold Medal on May 16 2002 at the United States Capitol building and were only the third president and first lady to receive it she accepted the medal on behalf of both of them 167 Funeral for President Reagan Edit Further information Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan nbsp Reagan says her last goodbye to President Ronald Reagan following a week long state funeral 2004Ronald Reagan died in their Bel Air home on June 5 2004 156 During the seven day state funeral Nancy accompanied by her children and military escort led the nation in mourning 168 She kept a strong composure 169 traveling from her home to the Reagan Library for a memorial service then to Washington D C where her husband s body lay in state for 34 hours prior to a national funeral service in the Washington National Cathedral 170 She returned to the library in Simi Valley for a sunset memorial service and interment where overcome with emotion she lost her composure and cried in public for the first time during the week 169 171 After receiving the folded flag she kissed the casket and mouthed I love you before leaving 172 During the week CNN journalist Wolf Blitzer said She s a very very strong woman even though she looks frail 173 She had directed the detailed planning of the funeral 169 which included scheduling all the major events and asking former President George H W Bush as well as former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher former Soviet Union Leader Mikhail Gorbachev and former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney to speak during the National Cathedral Service 169 She paid very close attention to the details something she had always done in her husband s life Betsy Bloomingdale one of Reagan s closest friends stated She looks a little frail But she is very strong inside She is She has the strength She is doing her last thing for Ronnie And she is going to get it right 169 The funeral marked her first major public appearance since she delivered a speech to the 1996 Republican National Convention on her husband s behalf 169 The funeral had a great impact on her public image Following substantial criticism during her tenure as first lady she was seen somewhat as a national heroine praised by many for supporting and caring for her husband while he suffered from Alzheimer s disease 140 U S News amp World Report opined after a decade in the shadows a different softer Nancy Reagan emerged 174 Widowhood Edit Following her husband s death Reagan remained active in politics particularly relating to stem cell research Beginning in 2004 she favored what many consider to be the Democratic Party s position and urged President George W Bush to support federally funded embryonic stem cell research in the hope that this science could lead to a cure for Alzheimer s disease 175 Although she failed to change the president s position she did support his campaign for a second term 176 nbsp Reagan dedicates the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Library as President Bush and his wife Laura look on October 2005In 2005 Reagan was honored at a gala dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington D C where guests included Dick Cheney Harry Reid and Condoleezza Rice 177 In 2007 she attended the national funeral service for Gerald Ford in the Washington National Cathedral Reagan hosted two 2008 Republican presidential debates at the Reagan Presidential Library the first in May 2007 and the second in January 2008 178 179 180 On March 25 she formally endorsed Senator John McCain then the presumptive Republican party nominee for president but McCain would go on to lose the election to Barack Obama 181 Reagan attended the funeral of Lady Bird Johnson in Austin Texas on July 14 2007 182 and three days later accepted the highest Polish distinction the Order of the White Eagle on behalf of Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Library The Reagan Library opened the temporary exhibit Nancy Reagan A First Lady s Style which displayed over eighty designer dresses belonging to her 183 184 nbsp Reagan accepts the Order of the White Eagle from Polish President Lech Kaczynski on behalf of Ronald Reagan July 15 2007Reagan s health and well being became a prominent concern in 2008 In February she suffered a fall at her Bel Air home and was taken to Saint John s Health Center in Santa Monica California Doctors reported that she did not break her hip as feared and she was released from the hospital two days later 185 News commentators noted that Reagan s step had slowed significantly as the following month she walked in very slow strides with John McCain 186 In October 2008 Reagan was admitted to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center after falling at home Doctors determined that the 87 year old had fractured her pelvis and sacrum and could recuperate at home with a regimen of physical therapy 187 As a result of her mishap medical articles were published containing information on how to prevent falls 188 In January 2009 Reagan was said to be improving every day and starting to get out more and more 189 nbsp Reagan with First Lady Michelle Obama at a White House luncheon June 3 2009In March 2009 she praised President Barack Obama for reversing the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research 190 She traveled to Washington D C in June 2009 to unveil a statue of her late husband in the Capitol rotunda 191 She was also on hand as President Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act and lunched privately with Michelle Obama 192 Reagan revealed in an interview with Vanity Fair that Michelle Obama had telephoned her for advice on living and entertaining in the White House 193 Following the death of Senator Ted Kennedy in August 2009 she said she was terribly saddened Given our political differences people are sometimes surprised how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family I will miss him 194 She attended the funeral of Betty Ford in Rancho Mirage California on July 12 2011 195 Reagan hosted a 2012 Republican presidential debate at the Reagan Presidential Library on September 7 2011 196 197 She suffered a fall in March 2012 198 Two months later she endured several broken ribs which prevented her from attending a speech given by Paul Ryan in the Reagan Presidential Library in May 2012 198 She endorsed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney on May 31 2012 explaining that her husband would have liked Romney s business background and what she called strong principles 196 Following the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in April 2013 she stated The world has lost a true champion of freedom and democracy Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend and I will miss her 199 Death and funeral EditOn March 6 2016 Nancy Reagan died of congestive heart failure at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 94 200 201 202 On March 7 President Barack Obama issued a presidential proclamation ordering the flag of the United States to be flown at half staff until sunset on the day of Reagan s interment 203 External video nbsp Nancy Reagan funeral service March 11 2016 C SPANHer funeral was held on March 11 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley California 204 205 Representatives from ten first families were in attendance including former president George W Bush and first ladies Michelle Obama Laura Bush Hillary Clinton and Rosalynn Carter The other representatives were presidential children Steven Ford Tricia Nixon Cox Luci Baines Johnson and Caroline Kennedy and presidential grandchild Anne Eisenhower Flottl 206 Other prominent individuals in attendance included California governor Jerry Brown and former governors Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pete Wilson then former House speaker Nancy Pelosi and former House speaker Newt Gingrich and former members of the Reagan administration including George P Shultz and Edwin Meese A sizable contingent from the Hollywood entertainment industry attended as well including Mr T Maria Shriver Schwarzenegger s then wife Wayne Newton Johnny Mathis Anjelica Huston John Stamos Tom Selleck Bo Derek and Melissa Rivers In all there were some 1 000 guests 206 Eulogies were given by former prime minister of Canada Brian Mulroney former secretary of state James Baker Diane Sawyer Tom Brokaw and her children Patti Davis and Ron Reagan After the funeral Nancy Reagan was interred next to her husband 207 208 Historical assessments EditSince 1982 Siena College Research Institute has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background value to the country intelligence courage accomplishments integrity leadership being their own women public image and value to the president 209 In terms of cumulative assessment Reagan has been ranked 39th best of 42 in 1982 210 36th best of 37 in 1993 210 28th best of 38 in 2003 210 15th best of 38 in 2008 210 15th best of 39 in 2014 209 In the 1993 Sienna Research Institute survey the first conducted after Reagan left the White House Reagan was assessed very poorly by historians ranking the second worst with only Mary Todd Lincoln being given a worse assessment 210 Reagan was ranked the lowest in half of the criteria background value to the country intelligence courage and integrity 211 Regard for Reagan has improved in subsequent iterations of the survey 210 In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey Reagan was ranked the 4th highest in value to the president but was ranked the lowest in integrity 210 In the 2003 survey Reagan ranked the 5th highest in value to the president 212 In the 2014 survey Reagan and her husband were ranked the 16th highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a power couple 213 In the 2014 survey historians ranked Reagan among 20th and 21st century American first ladies as being the 5th greatest in terms of being a political asset and 5th greatest in terms of being a strong public communicator 209 Reagan and her husband have each posthumously experienced continued criticism for having during their time in the White House spent years publicly ignoring the HIV AIDS epidemic which began during her husband s presidency The epidemic had initially predominantly impacted the male homosexual community Reagan s great extended public silence on this matter has been contrasted with her coinciding vocalness against drug use Reagan s extended failure to give significant public acknowledgement of this epidemic has been seen as one of the greatest detractions in her retrospective public regard 214 215 216 217 However there has been reporting to suggest that privately Reagan did unsuccessfully urge her husband s administration to address the epidemic 218 Awards and honors Edit nbsp Reagan receiving an honorary degree from Eureka College 2009As noted earlier Nancy Reagan was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2002 166 and the Congressional Gold Medal in the same year 167 In 1989 she received the Council of Fashion Designers of America s lifetime achievement award 95 As First Lady Nancy Reagan received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Pepperdine University in 1983 219 Later she received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Eureka College in Illinois her husband s alma mater in 2009 220 Filmography EditThe Crippler 1940 Short Portrait of Jennie 1948 The Doctor and the Girl 1949 East Side West Side 1949 Shadow on the Wall 1950 The Next Voice You Hear 1950 Night into Morning 1951 It s a Big Country 1951 Talk About a Stranger 1952 Shadow in the Sky 1952 Donovan s Brain 1953 The Dark Wave 1956 Short Hellcats of the Navy 1957 29 Crash Landing 1958 221 222 As Nancy Davis she also made a number of television appearances from 1953 to 1962 as a guest star in dramatic shows or installments of anthology series These included Ford Television Theatre her first appearance with Ronald Reagan came during a 1953 episode titled First Born Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Dick Powell s Zane Grey Theatre appearing with Ronald Reagan in the 1961 episode The Long Shadow Wagon Train The Tall Man and General Electric Theater hosted by Ronald Reagan References Edit a b c d e f Percha Julie March 6 2016 Nancy Reagan Former First Lady Dies at 94 ABC News Retrieved March 6 2016 a b c d e Nancy Reagan gt Her Life amp Times Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Archived from the original on October 24 2006 Retrieved September 22 2007 When Nancy Davis signed with MGM she gave her birth date as July 6 1923 shaving two years off her age a common practice in Hollywood see Cannon Governor Reagan p 75 This caused subsequent confusion as some sources would continue to use the incorrect birth year Powling Anne O Connor John Barton Geoff 1997 New Oxford English Oxford University Press p 79 ISBN 978 0 19 831192 8 Some sources and websites erroneously list her as either being born in Flushing or being raised in Manhattan National Archives World War I draft registration cards digital image Ancestry com Kenneth Seymour Robbins 23 b Feb 23 1892 Pittsfield Mass farmer owner Brainard NY married Registered June 5 1916 Retrieved October 8 2016 The Sackett Family Association Sakkett Family Retrieved March 6 2016 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 66 Luckett gave her year of birth as 1896 to the Social Security Administration thus shaving off eight years First Lady Biography Nancy Reagan National First Ladies Library Archived from the original on May 9 2012 Retrieved March 6 2016 Edith Luckett at the Internet Movie Database user generated source Edith Luckett at the Internet Broadway Database a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u First Lady Biography Nancy Reagan National First Ladies Library Archived from the original on May 9 2012 Retrieved June 2 2007 Wills 1987 p 182 a b Reagan Nancy 1989 p 67 Gonzalez David April 12 1991 Talk and More Talk About Nancy That One in Flushing The New York Times Retrieved October 29 2007 a b The just say no first lady Today com February 18 2004 Retrieved October 16 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 71 a b c d e f Weymouth Lally October 26 1980 The Biggest Role of Nancy s Life fee required The New York Times Magazine Retrieved October 20 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 74 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 82 Oshinsky David M 2005 Polio An American Story New York Oxford University Press p 68 ISBN 978 0 19 515294 4 Lute Song Internet Broadway Database Retrieved October 18 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 85 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 88 a b Metzger Robert Paul 1989 pp 31 32 Biography for Nancy Davis Turner Broadcasting System Inc 2007 Retrieved October 17 2007 a b c d Cannon Lou 2003 pp 75 76 a b c Nancy Reagan gt Her Films Ronald Reagan Foundation Archived from the original on August 12 2007 Retrieved March 8 2007 A H Weiler credited as A W May 19 1950 Another View of Psychiatrist s Task The New York Times Retrieved October 18 2007 Bosley Crowther June 30 1950 The Next Voice You Hear Dore Schary Production Opens at Music Hall The New York Times Retrieved October 18 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 91 Bosley Crowther June 11 1951 Night Into Morning Starring Ray Milland as a Bereaved Professor at Loew s State The New York Times Retrieved October 18 2007 Richard L Coe June 9 1951 Night Into Morning Is Almost Excellent The Washington Post a b c Metzger Robert Paul 1989 p 33 Wills 1987 p 184 Bosley Crowther January 21 1954 Donovan s Brain Science Fiction Thriller Has Premiere at the Criterion Theatre The New York Times Retrieved October 20 2007 Erickson Glenn 2003 Hellcats of the Navy review one Kleinman com Inc Archived from the original on May 10 2017 Retrieved October 17 2007 Harper Erick 2003 Hellcats Of The Navy review two DVDVerdict Archived from the original on February 18 2008 Retrieved October 17 2007 Screen Actors Guild Presidents Screen Actors Guild Retrieved March 8 2007 a b Lambert Pat January 27 1997 To The Top People Archived from the original on July 7 2012 Retrieved January 27 2012 a b c d e Cannon Lou 2003 pp 77 78 Noteworthy places in Reagan s life The Baltimore Sun June 5 2004 Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved April 11 2007 First Ladies Nancy Reagan whitehouse gov Retrieved March 8 2007 via National Archives Beschloss Michael 2007 p 296 a b c d End of a Love Story BBC News June 5 2004 Retrieved March 21 2007 a b Berry Deborah Barfield June 6 2004 By Reagan s Side but her own person Newsday Archived from the original on April 1 2005 Retrieved August 15 2007 a b c Beschloss Michael 2007 p 284 Reagan Love Story NBC News June 9 2004 Retrieved May 25 2007 Up Next for Nancy Reagan tending her Ronnie s flame St Petersburg Times June 13 2004 Retrieved March 8 2007 Wolf Julie 2000 The Reagan Children PBS Archived from the original on November 10 2007 Retrieved October 17 2007 Couric Katie November 14 2004 Reagan daughter shares her story NBC News Retrieved June 4 2009 Road To A Reconciliation CBS March 27 2009 Archived from the original on May 15 2013 Retrieved June 4 2009 Reagan Nancy 1989 pp 148 149 a b c Cannon Lou 2003 p 233 a b Reagan Nancy 1989 pp 135 137 a b Charlie LeDuff November 19 2004 Forget the White House Schwarzenegger Needs Digs Now The New York Times Retrieved October 19 2007 Adler Ben December 17 2015 First Family Moves Into California Governor s Mansion capradio org Retrieved March 12 2016 Windeler Robert November 17 1967 Reagan Panel Fills Arts Chief s Post After It Ousted Aide The New York Times Retrieved October 18 2007 Lilliston Lynn December 13 1968 A Model First Lady Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 14 2008 Retrieved October 19 2007 Cook Lynn and Janet LaDue 2007 pp 110 111 a b Nancy Reagan Scholastic Retrieved February 16 2014 Anthony C S 2003 p 135 Jonas Samantha June 5 2004 Bio Nancy Reagan Fox News Channel Archived from the original on November 9 2007 Retrieved October 19 2007 Timberg Robert 1999 John McCain An American Odyssey Touchstone Books ISBN 978 0 684 86794 6 pp 119 121 Benze James G 2005 p 32 a b c Loizeau P M 2004 p 64 a b c Benze James G Jr 2005 p 33 Loizeau P M 2004 p 65 Loizeau P M 2004 p 69 a b Wolf Julie The American Experience Nancy Reagan PBS Archived from the original on January 10 2008 Retrieved January 22 2008 a b Deaver Michael 2004 p 78 Nancy Reagan The White House Historical Association Archived from the original on November 22 2011 Retrieved January 27 2012 Brady Press Briefing Room The White House Museum Retrieved February 1 2008 West Bedroom The White House Museum Retrieved February 1 2008 a b c d e Nemy Enid June 12 2000 Ted Graber 80 Decorator for Reagans Dies The New York Times Retrieved July 21 2009 Master Bedroom The White House Museum Retrieved February 1 2008 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 134 135 Loizeau P M 2005 p 93 Nancy Reagan To Run The White House In Grand Style Social Pundits Say St Petersburg Independent Associated Press November 13 1980 p 5A a b Nemy Enid November 9 1980 Word From Friends A New White House Style Is on the Way PDF The New York Times p 80 Proven Grace December 23 1980 Fashion Designers Look Ahead to 81 The Pittsburgh Post Gazette p 18 permanent dead link a b Burns Lisa 2008 p 148 Tate Sheila 2019 Lady in Red An Intimate Portrait of Nancy Reagan Crown Publishing Group p 213 ISBN 9781524762209 a b c d West Kevin October 2007 Nancy s Closet W Archived from the original on September 25 2009 Retrieved May 15 2009 a b c d e f Bennetts Leslie January 25 1981 Nancy Reagan s inaugural wardrobe gives notice of new White House opulence St Petersburg Times Keogh Pamela March 7 2016 ow Nancy Reagan Returned Unapologetic Glamour to the White House Vanity Fair Retrieved August 13 2019 King Wayne amp Warren Weaver Jr August 23 1986 Washington Talk Briefing A Do Ado The New York Times Retrieved June 18 2008 For Mrs Reagan Gifts Mean High Fashion At No Cost fee required Associated Press for The New York Times January 16 1982 Retrieved February 1 2008 a b Smith Hedrick February 17 1982 Nancy Reagan Gives Up Dress Designer Loans fee required The New York Times Retrieved February 1 2008 a b c d Magnuson Ed October 24 1988 Why Mrs Reagan Still Looks Like a Million Time Archived from the original on October 22 2012 Retrieved February 1 2008 Kurtz Howard December 5 1989 IRS Looking into Gifts to Reagans Borrowed Designer Dresses Subject of Tax Inquiry The Washington Post Archived from the original fee required on November 4 2012 Retrieved February 2 2008 a b Roberts Steven V October 18 1988 First Lady Expresses Regrets on Wardrobe The New York Times Retrieved February 1 2008 Robinson John October 19 1988 Nancy Reagan s Dress Blues Borrowing Clothes From Top Designers May Be Chic But Is It Proper Boston Globe Archived from the original fee required on November 4 2012 Retrieved February 7 2008 a b c Hochswender Woody January 10 1989 Fashion Amid the Rustle of Finery Fashion Celebrates Its Own The New York Times Retrieved July 22 2009 a b c d e Santini Maureen September 12 1981 Nancy Reagan s White House china 209 508 Associated Press published in The St Petersburg Times Lenox White House Lenox Inc Archived from the original on January 11 2009 Retrieved June 2 2007 Klapthor Margaret Brown 1999 p 184 a b Gibbs Nancy March 6 2016 Remembering Nancy Reagan The End of a White House Love Story Time subscription required Downie Leonard Jr July 30 1981 Britain Celebrates Charles Takes a Bride The Washington Post Retrieved November 16 2007 Page Susan June 13 2004 Husband s Past will shape Nancy Reagan USA Today Retrieved March 8 2007 Neuman Johanna amp David Willman August 19 2007 Michael K Deaver 1938 2007 Image guru set the stage for Reagan Los Angeles Times p 5 Retrieved July 29 2009 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 56 Moore Boothe January 18 2009 Can she stay everywoman Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on June 29 2012 Retrieved February 5 2009 a b Usborne David June 2 2009 Nancy Reagan I still see Ronnie in my bedroom The Independent London Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved June 3 2009 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 110 112 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 7 75 134 274 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 132 133 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 133 167 168 Grant Paul November 4 1986 Charges Against Nancy Reagan s Maid Dropped St Petersburg Times United Press International p 14A Retrieved May 10 2015 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 p 117 Schifando and Joseph 2007 p 165 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 pp 112 113 Schifando and Joseph 2007 pp 169 172 Schifando and Joseph 2007 p 175 Schifando and Joseph 2007 p 173 a b c Mrs Reagan s Crusade Ronald Reagan Foundation Archived from the original on August 12 2007 Retrieved March 8 2007 Remarks at the Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Center Benefit Dinner in Los Angeles Ronald Reagan Foundation January 4 1989 Archived from the original on March 5 2016 Retrieved October 3 2007 in Oakland where a schoolchild in an audience Nancy was addressing stood up and asked what she and her friends should say when someone offered them drugs And Nancy said Just say no And within a few months thousands of Just Say No clubs had sprung up in schools around the country Loizeau Pierre Marie Nancy Reagan The Woman Behind the Man 1984 Nova Publishers pp 104 105 Brian L Dyak Executive Producer William N Utz Executive Producer December 11 1985 Stop the Madness Music Video Hollywood and The White House Washington D C E I C Event occurs at 3 15 Thirty Years of America s Drug War pbs org Retrieved April 4 2007 a b Elliott Jeff May 1993 Just say nonsense Nancy Reagan s drug education programs Washington Monthly Vol 25 no 5 p 3 Retrieved July 2 2015 Hancock David June 5 2004 His Fierce Protector Nancy CBS Archived from the original on January 12 2008 Retrieved November 15 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 5 Noonan Peggy Character Above All Ronald Reagan essay PBS Archived from the original on October 11 2007 Retrieved August 15 2007 Final Edited Transcript Interview with Max Friedersdorf PDF Miller Center of Public Affairs October 24 25 2002 p 60 Retrieved October 20 2007 Mrs Reagan was all upset of course He said that Senator Strom Thurmond had come over to the hospital and had talked his way in past the lobby up to the President s room he s in intensive care tubes coming out of his nose and his throat tubes in his arms and everything and said that Strom Thurmond had talked his way past the secret service into his room and Mrs Reagan was outraged distraught She couldn t believe her eyes He said You know those guys are crazy They come over here trying to get a picture in front of the hospital and trying to talk to the President when he may be on his deathbed Burns Lisa 2008 pp 130 138 139 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 p 160 a b Ivins Molly March 18 1990 Stars and Strife The New York Times Retrieved November 16 2007 Astrologer who helped guide President Reagan s schedule dies at 87 PBS NewsHour October 24 2014 Retrieved November 22 2022 a b Martin Douglas October 14 2014 Joan Quigley Astrologer to a First Lady Is Dead at 87 The New York Times Retrieved November 22 2022 Anthony C S 1991 p 396 Anthony C S 1991 p 398 Thomas Rhys Writer Producer Donaldson Sam interviewee 2005 The Presidents Documentary A amp E Television What Hillary Clinton owes Nancy Reagan The late First Lady wielded real influence on her husband s presidency Daily News New York March 9 2016 Donald Regan For the Record From Wall Street to Washington San Diego Harcourt Trade Publishers 1988 ISBN 0151639663 a b Wadler Joyce Blessing Angela Mathison Dirk Bonnett Sellinger Margie May 23 1988 The President s Astrologers People Retrieved July 30 2021 Apple R W Jr November 1 1989 Books of the Times Nancy Reagan Tells Her Side of the Stories The New York Times Retrieved June 3 2008 Reagan Nancy 1989 pp 44 47 a b c d Nancy Reagan emerges as public icon BBC News June 10 2004 Retrieved November 2 2007 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 21 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 62 Bohlen Celestine December 8 1988 The Gorbachev Visit Another Obstacle Falls Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev Get Chummy The New York Times Retrieved October 14 2008 Chua Eoan Howard G June 6 1988 My Wife Is a Very Independent Lady Time Archived from the original on October 17 2007 Retrieved October 5 2007 a b c Burns Lisa 2008 pp 139 140 a b Nancy Reagan Criticizes Aides to President The New York Times Reuters November 13 1988 Retrieved May 16 2009 Reagan Nancy 1989 p vii Reagan Nancy 1989 p 65 Altman Lawrence K October 18 1987 Surgeons Remove Cancerous Breast of Nancy Reagan The New York Times Retrieved June 23 2008 Reagan Nancy 1989 p 285 Perspectives in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Trends in Screening Mammograms for Women 50 Years of Age and Older Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 1987 Department of Health and Human Services March 10 1989 Retrieved June 23 2008 a b A Look Back At The Polls CBS Interactive Inc June 7 2004 Retrieved October 14 2007 Beyette Beverly Betty Cuniberti December 4 1988 The Reagan Re Entry After Years in the Capital Fishbowl the First Couple Hope to Find a Little Calm in a Much Changed L A Los Angeles Times Stevens Pam January 21 2001 Reagan paid back his friends for house they bought for him CNN Archived from the original on October 14 2007 Retrieved November 16 2007 Netburn Deborah December 24 2006 Agenting for God Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on May 25 2011 Retrieved November 16 2007 a b Ronald Reagan dies at 93 CNN June 5 2004 Retrieved February 7 2007 Nancy Reagan Her Life and Times Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Archived from the original on November 12 2007 Retrieved May 12 2007 My Turn Review A 1 Women s Discount Bookstore Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved March 28 2007 Kiely Kathy September 13 2004 Critical book on Bushes sparks firestorm USA Today Retrieved December 24 2007 In 1991 The New York Times published a front page story on Kelley s biography of Nancy Reagan and then apologized for repeating some of its salacious charges without attempting to verify them Crowley Michael September 15 2004 Kitty Kelley Colonoscopist to the Stars Slate Retrieved June 13 2009 Usborne David December 15 2006 Fact or fiction The incredible world of Kitty Kelley The Independent London Archived from the original on June 18 2022 Retrieved June 20 2009 Kurtz Howard September 8 2004 Media View Kitty Kelley s Bush Book With Caution The Washington Post Retrieved June 20 2009 a b Hershey Robert D December 6 1989 Gifts and Loans to Nancy Reagan Stir I R S Interest in High Fashion The New York Times Retrieved January 28 2008 a b Castro Janice January 27 1992 Nancy with the Golden Threads Time Archived from the original on July 10 2009 Retrieved January 28 2008 Bennet James April 29 1997 Presidents Call for Big Citizenship Not Big Government The New York Times a b President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award whitehouse gov Press release July 9 2002 Retrieved March 21 2007 via National Archives a b Congressional Gold Medal History United States House of Representatives Retrieved March 8 2007 Nancy Reagan Scholastic Library Publishing Inc 2006 Archived from the original on March 13 2008 Retrieved February 16 2008 a b c d e f Nogourney Adam amp Bernard Wienrob June 12 2004 The 40th President The President s Widow For a Frail Mrs Reagan A Week of Great Resolve The New York Times Retrieved February 29 2008 Outline of Funeral Events in honor of Ronald Wilson Reagan Press release The Office of Ronald Reagan June 6 2004 Archived from the original on April 19 2008 Retrieved February 29 2008 A Nation bids Reagan Farewell CBS June 12 2004 Retrieved February 29 2008 Reagan Laid to Rest Fox News Channel June 12 2004 Archived from the original on October 17 2007 Retrieved March 24 2007 Reagan s Casket Arrives in Washington Transcript CNN June 9 2004 Retrieved November 2 2007 Cannon Angie June 21 2004 A warm public embrace for the new Nancy U S News amp World Report Retrieved December 13 2008 Check Erika 2004 Bush pressured as Nancy Reagan pleads for stem cell research Nature 429 6988 116 Bibcode 2004Natur 429 116C doi 10 1038 429116a PMID 15141173 Former first lady Nancy Reagan supports Bush s re election USA Today August 4 2004 Retrieved October 17 2007 Roberts Roxanne May 12 2005 Just Say Yes Nancy Reagan Welcomed Back at Tribute The Washington Post Retrieved May 17 2008 Nagourney Adam Santora Marc May 4 2007 08 Republicans Differ on Defining Party s Future The New York Times Retrieved May 4 2007 Romney Blasts McCain over Iraq War Charge Fox News Channel January 30 2008 Archived from the original on February 1 2008 Retrieved February 1 2008 Phillips Kate January 31 2008 One Word Reagan The New York Times Retrieved February 9 2008 Nancy Reagan gives McCain seal of approval Fox News Channel Associated Press March 25 2008 Archived from the original on March 30 2008 Retrieved March 25 2008 Johnson Alex May 4 2007 Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq NBC News Retrieved May 3 2007 Corcoran Monica November 8 2007 The Nancy Years Los Angeles Times Retrieved January 20 2008 Bakalis Anna November 9 2007 Style exhibit chronicles Nancy Reagan s life The Ventura County Star Archived from the original on March 5 2009 Retrieved January 20 2008 Nancy Reagan Released From Hospital NBC News February 19 2008 Retrieved February 19 2008 Williams Brian interviewee October 15 2008 Nancy Reagan suffers broken pelvis Television production NBC News Retrieved December 5 2008 Whitcomb Dan October 17 2008 Former first lady Nancy Reagan out of hospital Reuters Retrieved May 14 2009 Physical Therapy Will Play Key Role In Nancy Reagan s Recovery From Recent Fall News Today October 27 2008 Archived from the original on December 5 2008 Retrieved December 6 2008 Nancy Reagan Health Update Shes Improving Every Day Entertainment Tonight January 15 2009 Archived from the original on June 4 2013 Retrieved January 20 2009 Gordon Craig March 9 2009 Nancy Reagan praises Obama The Politico Retrieved May 14 2009 Simon Richard June 4 2009 Reagan returns to Washington D C in bronze Los Angeles Times Retrieved June 3 2009 Cooper Helene June 2 2009 Nancy Reagan and Obama Kiss and Make Up The New York Times Retrieved June 3 2009 Nancy Reagan Speaks Out About Obamas the Bushes and Her Husband Vanity Fair June 1 2009 Archived from the original on June 3 2009 Retrieved June 3 2009 Nancy Reagan Statement on Ted Kennedy s Death Time Press release August 26 2009 Retrieved March 23 2010 permanent dead link dead link After Funeral Service Betty Ford Buried Next to Husband NBC News July 14 2011 Retrieved December 20 2013 a b Nancy Reagan endorses Romney s bid for president USA Today Associated Press May 31 2012 Archived from the original on November 16 2017 Retrieved December 20 2013 GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan presidential library The Washington Post September 7 2011 Retrieved December 20 2013 a b Nancy Reagan still recovering from fall CNN May 23 2012 Retrieved December 20 2013 Nancy Reagan Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates CNN April 8 2013 Archived from the original on May 3 2016 Retrieved December 20 2013 Fieldstadt Elisha Gittens Hasani March 6 2016 Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dead at 94 NBC News Retrieved March 6 2016 Cannon Lou March 6 2016 Nancy Reagan a Stylish and Influential First Lady Dies at 94 The New York Times Archived from the original on August 27 2017 Retrieved March 6 2016 Dunham Will March 6 2016 Former First Lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94 Reuters Washington D C Retrieved March 6 2016 Presidential Proclamation Nancy Reagan Press release The White House Office of the Press Secretary March 7 2016 Retrieved March 7 2016 Stanley Alessandra March 11 2016 At Nancy Reagan s Funeral Honoring the Queen of a Republican Camelot The New York Times Retrieved May 21 2016 Casket Carrying Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Arrives at Reagan Library Inside Edition News March 9 2016 Archived from the original on November 14 2021 Retrieved August 16 2019 a b Colacello Bob March 17 2016 Nancy Reagan s Funeral God Bless America White Roses and a Red Adolfo Suit Vanity Fair Retrieved May 21 2016 Keneally Meghan March 12 2016 Nancy Reagan Laid to Rest Beside Her Late Husband 6abc Philadelphia Retrieved March 12 2016 WDIO com Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Laid to Rest WDIO com Archived from the original on March 12 2016 Retrieved March 12 2016 a b c Eleanor Roosevelt Retains Top Spot as America s Best First Lady Michelle Obama Enters Study as 5th Hillary Clinton Drops to 6th Clinton Seen First Lady Most as Presidential Material Laura Bush Pat Nixon Mamie Eisenhower Bess Truman Could Have Done More in Office Eleanor amp FDR Top Power Couple Mary Drags Lincolns Down in the Ratings PDF scri siena edu Siena Research Institute February 15 2014 Retrieved May 16 2022 a b c d e f g Ranking America s First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still 1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 5 th to 4 th Jackie Kennedy from 4th to 3rd Mary Todd Lincoln Remains in 36th PDF Siena Research Institute December 18 2008 Retrieved May 16 2022 Eleanor Roosevelt Hillary Clinton Top First Lady Poll PDF scri siena edu Sienna College January 10 1994 Retrieved October 23 2022 Ranking America s First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still 1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 2nd to 5th Jackie Kennedy from 7th to 4th Mary Todd Lincoln Up From Usual Last Place PDF scri siena edu Sienna College Research Center September 29 2003 Retrieved October 23 2022 2014 Power Couple Score PDF scri siena edu Siena Research Institute C SPAN Study of the First Ladies of the United States Retrieved October 9 2022 Zak Dan March 13 2016 On drugs Nancy Reagan just said no On AIDS she said nothing Washington Post Retrieved October 9 2022 L La Ganga Maria March 11 2016 The first lady who looked away Nancy and the Reagans troubling Aids legacy The Guardian Retrieved October 9 2022 Davis Wynne June 9 2022 Here s why the new Nancy Reagan stamp prompted backlash from the LGBTQ community NPR Retrieved October 9 2022 Mosendz Polly March 9 2016 Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Watched Thousands of LGBTQ People Die of AIDS Teen Vogue Retrieved October 9 2022 Tumulty Karen April 12 2021 Nancy Reagan s Real Role in the AIDS Crisis The Atlantic Retrieved October 9 2022 Gets Honorary Degree The New York Times Associated Press May 2 1983 Eureka College Awards Nancy Reagan Honorary Doctorate Chronicle Media April 8 2009 Pryor Thomas M August 3 1957 Universal Plans 7 Films in Month The New York Times Retrieved March 8 2010 Of Local Origin The New York Times January 31 1958 Retrieved March 8 2010 Further reading EditFurther information Bibliography of Ronald Reagan Anthony Carl Sferrazza 2003 America s Most Influential First Ladies The Oliver Press ISBN 978 1 881508 69 4 Anthony Carl Sferrazza 1991 First Ladies The Saga of the Presidents Wives and Their Power 1961 1990 Volume II New York William Morrow and Co Benze James G Jr 2005 Nancy Reagan On the White House Stage Lawrence Kansas University Press of Kansas ISBN 978 0 7006 1401 1 Beschloss Michael 2007 Presidential Courage Brave Leaders and How They Changed America New York Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 0 684 85705 3 Brower Kate Andersen 2015 The Residence Inside the Private World of The White House New York Harper ISBN 978 0 06 230519 0 Burns Lisa M 2008 First Ladies and the Fourth Estate Press Framing of Presidential Wives DeKalb Illinois Northern Illinois University Press ISBN 978 0 87580 391 3 Cannon Lou 2003 Governor Reagan His Rise to Power Public Affairs ISBN 978 1 58648 030 1 Deaver Michael K 2004 Nancy A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan New York William Morrow ISBN 978 0 06 078095 1 Gale Literature Nancy Reagan in Gale Literature Contemporary Authors Gale 2016 online Kelley Kitty 1991 Nancy Reagan The Unauthorized Biography Simon and Schuster ISBN 978 0671646462 Klapthor Margaret Brown 1999 Official White House China 1789 to the Present Harry N Abrams ISBN 978 0 8109 3993 6 Leamer Laurence Make Believe The Story of Nancy and Ronald Reagan Harper 1983 Loizeau Pierre Marie 2004 Nancy Reagan The Woman Behind the Man Nova Publishers ISBN 978 1 59033 759 2 Loizeau Pierre Marie 2005 Nancy Reagan in Perspective Nova Publishers ISBN 978 0 7425 2970 0 Metzger Robert Paul 1989 Reagan American Icon Bucknell University Center Gallery ISBN 978 0 916279 05 9 Nyberg Ferdinand Nancy Reagan in the ghetto On space as mediator between structure and event InterDisciplines Journal of History and Sociology 7 2 2016 online Reagan Nancy Reagan Ronald 2000 I Love You Ronnie The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan New York Random House ISBN 978 0 375 50554 6 Reagan Nancy Novak William 1989 My Turn The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan New York Random House ISBN 978 0 394 56368 8 H W Brands Reagan The Life 2015 p 743 says she wrote one of the most candid and at times self critical memoirs in recent American political history Reagan Nancy Libby Bill 1980 Nancy The Autobiography of America s First Lady United States HarperCollins ISBN 978 0 688 03533 4 Reagan Nancy Wilkie Jane 1982 To Love a Child United States Bobbs Merrill ISBN 978 0 672 52711 1 Roberts Jason Nancy Reagan in Katherine A S Sibley ed A Companion to First Ladies 2016 585 603 Schifando Peter Joseph J Jonathan 2007 Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan New York William Morrow ISBN 978 0 06 135012 2 Wertheimer Molly Meijer 2004 Nancy Reagan in Perspective Rowman amp Littlefield Publishers ISBN 978 0 7425 2970 0 Wills Garry 1987 Reagan s America Innocents at Home Doubleday ISBN 978 0 385 18286 7 External links Edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nancy Reagan nbsp Wikiquote has quotations related to Nancy Reagan First Lady profile at WhiteHouse gov Profile at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Appearances on C SPAN nbsp Nancy Reagan at C SPAN s First Ladies Influence amp Image First Ladies of California Nancy Davis at IMDb nbsp Nancy Davis at the Internet Broadway Database nbsp Nancy Reagan at Find a Grave nbsp Nancy Reagan collected news and commentary at The New York Times nbsp nbsp Biography portal nbsp Illinois portal nbsp Chicago portal nbsp New York City portal nbsp Politics portal nbsp History portal nbsp Conservatism portalHonorary titlesPreceded byBernice Brown First Lady of California1967 1975 Succeeded byGloria DeukmejianPreceded byRosalynn Carter First Lady of the United States1981 1989 Succeeded byBarbara Bush Portals nbsp Biography nbsp United States nbsp Conservatism nbsp Politics nbsp History nbsp New York state nbsp New York City nbsp Film nbsp Television nbsp Fashion Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nancy Reagan amp oldid 1179289599, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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