Ronald Reagan’s Pre-Presidential Time Line, 1911-1980

1911

Feb 6 Born in Tampico, IL to Jack and Nelle Reagan. His older brother Neil [Moon] was born in 1908.

1920

Dec. 6 After a series of homes in the South side of Chicago, Galesburg, Monmouth, and Tampico, the Reagans settled in Dixon, IL, the place Ronald Reagan considered his home town.

1926

Summer Was employed as a life guard at Lowell Park in Dixon, where, in the next seven summers, he was credited with saving 77 lives. Ronald Reagan as a life guard.

1928

June Graduated from Dixon High School, where he participated in basketball, drama, football and track. He also served as student body president.

1932

June Graduated from Eureka College with a B.A. degree in Economics and Sociology. He participated in drama, football and swimming. He also served as student body president and helped organize a student strike.

Fall Supported, with his father, Franklin D. Roosevelt for President.

December Got a job as a temporary staff announcer at station WOC in Davenport, Iowa.

1933

April When WOC and WHO, in Des Moines, merged, Reagan moved to Des Moines as

chief sports announcer and a permanent job. He would broadcast Chicago Cub home games based on telegraph reports from Wrigley Field.

1935

Feb. 27 Enlisted as a private in the Army Reserve.

1937

Mar. 15 While attending Spring training, on Catalina Island, with the Chicago Cubs, he made a screen test for Warner Bros.

Apr. 20 Signed as a contract player for Warner Bros.

Apr. 27 Promoted to Second Lieutenant in the Reserve Corps of Cavalry.

Jun. 7 Reported to the studio for his first motion picture, Love is on the Air.

1940

Jan. 26 Married Jane Wyman, who he had met while filming Brother Rat.

September Played George Gipp in Knute Rockne - All American.

1941

Jan. 4 Maureen Reagan was born.

Sep.17 Reagan was an informant for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

September Played Drake McHugh in Kings Row, his most artistically acclaimed role. In this picture, he uttered the line, “Where’s the rest of me?”

1942

Apr. 19 Called to active duty and reported to Fort Mason, CA. Later he was transferred to the Army Air Forces and assigned to the 1st Motion Picture Unit in Culver City, CA. Called “Fort Roach,” this unit made over 400 training films with Reagan

1943

Jan. 14 Promoted to First Lieutenant.

Jul. 22 Promoted to Captain.

1945

Feb. 2 Recommended for promotion to Major.

Mar. 14 Birth of Reagan and Wyman’s adopted son, Michael.

Jul. 17 Promotion to Major disapproved.

Aug. 21 Signed a million dollar contract with Warner Bros.

Dec. 9 Discharged from the Army.

1947

March Elected President of the Screen Actors Guild for the first time. He would be re-elected for five more consecutive one year terms.

Jun. 4 Made That Hagen Girl, his personal least liked role.

Oct. 25 Testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

1948

Sep. 23 Introduced Harry Truman at a campaign rally in Los Angeles.

1949

Jun. 28 Reagan and Jane Wyman divorce was final.

1950

Wrote guest columns for Victor Riesel, the labor columnist.

April Supported Helen Gahagen Douglas for U.S. Senator, but in the Fall switched his support to Richard Nixon.

Dec. 7 Made his first television network debut in Nash Airflyte Theatre. He would eventually have over sixty television credits.

1951

Appeared in Bedtime for Bonzo for Universal.

1952

Mar. 4 Married Nancy Davis.

June Made the commencement address, America the Beautiful at William Woods College.

Played Grover Cleveland Alexander in The Winning Team, his last picture for Warner Bros.

Oct. 22 Patricia Reagan was born.

Fall Campaigned as a Democrat for Eisenhower.

1953

May 2 Named Honorary Mayor of Malibu Lake.

1954

Sep. 26 His first appearance on GE Theatre. He accepted a job as host and occasional star of GE Theatre, and as spokesman for the General Electric Company. This allowed him to tour the country, giving speeches.

1955

Named Honorary Mayor of Thousand Oaks, but was disappointed in his unsuccessful bid to be Honorary Mayor of Hollywood.

1956

Campaigned again as a Democrat for Eisenhower.

1957

Appeared, with Nancy Davis, in Hellcats of the Navy, their first and only picture together.

1958

May 28 Ronald Prescott (“Skipper”) Reagan was born.

1959

November Elected President of the Screen Actors Guild for the last time.

1960

Feb. 9 Dedication of the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard. Reagan’s star is among the original stars that were unveiled on that day.

July After strike negotiations were over, Reagan resigned as President of Screen Actors Guild, and he and Nancy, later, resigned from the Board.

Fall Campaigned for Richard Nixon as a Democrat for Nixon.

1962

Feb. 5 Made a grand jury appearance in the MCA-SAG anti-trust hearing.

March General Electric decided to discontinue GE Theatre because of low ratings.

Reagans last appearance was broadcast on August 26, 1962.

Fall Officially changed his party registration to Republican.

1964

Became host of Death Valley Days, replacing “The Old Ranger,” Stanley Andrews. He appeared in or hosted twenty-one episodes, which were broadcast from 1965-1966.

Reagan portrayed the villain in The Killers, his last motion picture. Originally made for television, it was too violent and was released in movie theaters.

Oct. 27 Reagan’s televised speech for Barry Goldwater, A Time for Choosing, launched his political career.

November “Friends of Ronald Reagan,” a political support group, formed

1965

Publication of Reagan’s autobiography, Where’s the Rest of Me.

Resigned as host of Death Valley Days.

1966

November Reagan defeated Edmund G. “Pat” Brown in a landslide. His success

in the election and as governor, made him a leading presidential nomination contender in 1968.

1967

Jan. 2 Inaugurated as Governor of California in a small midnight ceremony.

Jan. 5 Public celebration of Inaugural as Governor, including Inaugural Address.

1968

August Reagan waited until the Republican Convention in Miami Beach to announce his candidacy for President. Unsuccessful, he joined in the unanimous support for Richard Nixon for President.

1969

May 15 Sent in the National Guard to the University of California campus in Berkeley to restore order, after “a state of emergency” was declared in response to student unrest.

1970

November Won re-election for Governor over Jesse Unruh, The Speaker of the State Assembly.

1971

Signed the California Welfare Reform Act, whose purpose was to reduce welfare rolls.

1974

Fall A consulting and public relations firm, founded by Michael Deaver and Peter Hannaford, began to book speeches, newspaper columns, and radio commentaries for Reagan.

Fall Reagan declined offers from the Ford Administration to become Ambassador to the Court of St.James, Secretary of Transportation and, later, Secretary of Commerce.

1975

Nov. 20 Announced his candidacy for President for the 1976 election. He would lose the race for the nomination but his strong showing laid the groundwork for the 1980 election.

1976

Aug. 19 Addressed the Republican National Convention in Kansas City.

1979

Nov. 13 Announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination for President.

He was the tenth and last Republican to enter the race.

1980

Feb. 23 “Ambush at Nashua” debate with George Bush. Debate also included Anderson, Baker, Crane, Dole as well as Bush.

Mar. 18 Republican debate in Chicago with Bush, Anderson, and Crane.

Apr. 24 Republican debate in Houston with George Bush.

Jul. 16 Reagan won the nomination for President at the Republican National Convention in Detroit.

Jul. 16 Gerald Ford, who decided not to contest the nomination, was offered the post of Vice President on the “dream ticket,” but declined the nomination in a face-to-face meeting with Reagan.

Jul 16 Spurned by Ford, Reagan offered the Vice President nomination to George Bush.

Sep. 21 Reagan - Anderson Presidential Debate. Carter declined to participate.

Oct. 28 Reagan - Carter Debate.

Nov 4 In a landslide victory, Reagan was elected the 40th President of the United States.

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