RONALD REAGAN
1981 - 1989
Arizona Timeline
1981 - Arizona Justice Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman on the United States Supreme Court.
1982 - Kingman celebrates its Centennial Year. Duval's Mineral Park copper/ molybdenum mining operation closes as world copper prices reach lows.
1984 - Population of Arizona exceeds 3 million.
1988 - Impeachment of Arizona Governor Evan Mecham. Secretary of State, Rose Mofford, becomes Arizona’s first female governor.
Ronald Reagan was born in 1911
in Tampico, Illlinois. He attended
Eureka College, where he
participated in debating and
theatricals, and graduated in 1932.
Beginning as a sports announcer
on a Des Moines, Iowa, radio
station, his radio, TV, and film
career stretched from 1937 to
1966. In 1966 he was elected
Governor of California and served
two terms in office.
Nancy Davis Reagan was born in
1921 and grew up in Chicago.
Soon after graduation from Smith
College in Massachusetts, she
became a professional actress.
She played many roles on
Broadway, and from 1949 to
1956, performed in eleven
Hollywood films. She met
Ronald Reagan in 1951 and they
were married the following year.
Two children were born to the
Reagans.
In 1981, three months after his inauguration, President Ronald Reagan survived an assassin's bullet. He won public acclaim for his demeanor during
this incident, and also for his nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court. A skillful orator and negotiator, he was able to pass legislation
which stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation, and increased employment. He was also on a mission to reduce taxes and increase military strength,
this policy combination led to a large Federal deficit. In 1983, Reagan ordered the invasion of Granada to eliminate a Cuban military presence. The Iran-
Contra scandal and a slumping economy threw a shadow on his administration in the final years, but a missile treaty with Russia in 1988 kept Reagan's
popularity high. Ronald Reagan developed Alzheimer's disease in 1994 and died in California in 2004.
As First Lady, Nancy Reagan supported the Foster Grandparent Program and numerous charitable groups. She worked to focus international attention on
drug- abuse prevention. She shared her interest in the arts by using the executive mansion in the PBS series, “ In Performance at the White House.” Nancy
Reagan lives in retirement in California.
