Ronald Reagan: A Numismatic Icon
In the numismatic community, President Ronald Reagan for his contributions to bringing back gold and silver to American coinage. But this American President accomplished so many achievements, that even one would make a person well-known. From a successful acting career to his political wins, Ronald Reagan lived a great and varied life.
Born in 1911, Reagan was known by the childhood nickname of Dutch, after his Dutch-boy haircut. He grew up in Illinois and graduated from Eureka College after being elected student body president. From there, he became a radio announcer, calling the Chicago Cubs games. Traveling with the Cubs in 1937 to California, he auditioned for Warner Bros. Studios and was hired as an actor.
A prolific actor, Reagan has starred in 19 films by his second year in the business. It was in 1940 that he starred in “Knute Rockne, All American” and earned the lifelong nickname of “the Gipper” after his character in the film, George Gipp. The 1942 film “Kings Row” made the Gipper a bona fide star, as he played a double amputee. He continued to act after joining the military, with his final film role in 1964.
His interest in acting and politics combined in 1947 when he was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild. Fighting for the rights of actors, he secured residuals for when a television program or film is rerun on television. As part of his political battle, he stood strong against Communism in the era of the Hollywood Blacklist in the 1950s.
Ronald Reagan was seen by many Americans as the host of the weekly General Electric Theater from 1952 to 1963. Throughout this time, his interest in government grew and he made known his support for Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Richard Nixon. In 1964, Reagan backed Barry Goldwater for president, who lost to John F. Kennedy. His speeches backing Goldwater brought him to prominence with California Republicans.
Elected Governor of California in 1967, Reagan beat out two-term governor Pat Brown. His time as the leader of California was marked with strife, as he decisively stopped several protests with police action. As California Governor, Regan established many political stances he would later bring to the presidency. After serving two-terms, he did not run again and the next governor was Jerry Brown, Pat’s son.
After an unsuccessful campaign in 1976, Regan was finally chosen as the Republican candidate in 1980. Facing off against President Jimmy Carter, Reagan won 44 votes and over 50% of the popular vote. At 69 years old, he was then the oldest American president ever elected. During his 8 years in office, he appointed the first female Justice to the Supreme Court, and contributed to the fall of the Berlin Wall which weakened Communism in Europe.
Several years after the end his presidency, Ronald Reagan announced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His wife, Nancy Reagan, became a supporter of stem-cell research with the hope that it would help cure the debilitating disease. Ten years later, he passed away in 2004 at 98 years old, one of the few presidents to live such a long life.
RCTV honors the life and achievements of Ronald Reagan with our exclusive Reagan Mercanti American Silver Eagle holders.
