Nancy Davis Reagan, whose steely will and fierce loyalty to her husband, President Ronald Reagan, made her one of the most influential and controversial American first ladies, has died of congestive heart failure, her office said. She was 94.
The former actress entered the political spotlight when her husband was elected California governor in 1966. By the time he ascended to the Oval Office in 1981, she was a seasoned political wife, unafraid to take on perceived enemies, including White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan and several Cabinet members. Ronald Reagan died in 2004.
As first lady, she worked for some causes of her own, most notably her “Just Say No” campaign warning young people about drug abuse. Her message was spread by other community-based organizations and was credited with raising national awareness of the problem.
An elegant dresser who often appeared on polls of the most admired women, Reagan boosted the American fashion industry by wearing designs by American couturiers, such as James Galanos and Oscar de la Renta. But her weakness for expensive clothing raised ethical and tax questions when she did not report gifts of designer garments.
Her White House redecorating and restocking of china also raised eyebrows and contributed to a haughty image, while revelations that she had consulted an astrologer for advice after the 1981 assassination attempt on her husband made her look silly.
After her husband left office and disclosed that he had Alzheimer’s disease, Reagan devoted herself to his care. She remained largely out of the public eye while waging a quiet lobbying effort to promote stem-cell research. The research was opposed by President George W. Bush and other Republican leaders, despite its potential to produce cures for Alzheimer’s and other debilitating disorders. President Barack Obama lifted the restrictions shortly after taking office in 2009.
Nancy Reagan was born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921, in New York City, the daughter of a stage actress and a salesman who divorced when she was 7. Her circumstances were unstable until her mother married Loyal Davis, a well-to-do Chicago doctor, who adopted Nancy when she was 14.
A 1943 graduate of Smith College, she became a moderately successful actress who appeared in about a dozen movies during the 1940s and 1950s. She met Ronald Reagan when he was head of the Screen Actors Guild and sought his help in straightening out an error that had led to her name being included on a list of Communist sympathizers. They were married in 1952 and soon had two children, Patti and Ron, born in 1952 and 1958, respectively.
For many years, Reagan had difficult relationships with her children and stepchildren, Maureen and Michael, who were her husband’s children with his first wife, Jane Wyman. Their problems, publicly aired in books by Patti and Michael, were embarrassing for the Reagans, who promoted family values. She eventually reconciled with her children.
She wrote a memoir, “My Turn,” published in 1989. She also released a volume of love letters that her husband wrote during their long marriage called “I Love You, Ronnie,” a bestseller published in 2000.
He was the center of her life for the 52 years of their marriage. “When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it’s true. It did. I can’t imagine life without him,” she told Vanity Fair some years before his death.
—
©2016 Los Angeles Times
Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
—–
ARCHIVE PHOTOS on Tribune News Service (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):
_____
Topics: t000002953,t000047682,t000047680