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Nancy Reagan is the American Eva Peron.
{{Infobox_Officeholder
| name = Nancy Davis Reagan
| image = Nancy Reagan.jpg
| imagesize = 175px
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1921|7|6}}
| birth_place = [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], [[New York]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| occupation = [[First Lady of the United States]]
| order=[[First Lady of the United States]]
| term_start=[[January 20]], [[1981]]
| term_end=[[January 20]], [[1989]]
| predecessor = [[Rosalynn Carter]]
| successor = [[Barbara Bush]]
| religion=[[Presbyterian]]
| spouse = [[Ronald Reagan]] (1952–2004)
| children = [[Patti Davis|Patti]], [[Ron Reagan|Ron]]
| relations = Kenneth Seymour Robbins and Edith Luckett
| signature = NReagansignature.jpg
|}}

'''Nancy Davis Reagan''' (born '''Anne Frances Robbins''' on [[July 6]], [[1921]]) is the widow of former [[United States President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] and was [[First Lady of the United States]] from 1981 to 1989. Born in [[New York]], her parents divorced soon after her birth; she grew up in [[Maryland]], living with an aunt and uncle while her mother pursued acting jobs. As '''Nancy Davis''', she was an [[actress]] in the 1940s and 1950s, starring in films such as ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'', ''Night into Morning'', and ''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]''. In 1952 she married Ronald Reagan, who was then president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]]; they had two children. Nancy became the First Lady of [[California]] when her husband was [[Governor of California|Governor]] from 1967 to 1975.

She became the First Lady of the United States in [[January 1981]] with Ronald Reagan's [[President of the United States|presidential]] victory, experiencing criticism early in her husband's first term due largely to her decision to replenish the [[China Room|White House china]]. Nancy restored a [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]]-esque glamor to the White House following years of lax formality, and her interest in high-end fashion garnered much attention. She championed [[illegal drug|recreational drug prevention]] causes by founding the [[Just Say No|"Just Say No"]] drug awareness campaign, which was considered her major initiative as First Lady. More controversy ensued when it was revealed in 1988 that she had consulted an [[astrologer]] to assist in planning the president's schedule after the [[Reagan Assassination Attempt|1981 assassination attempt]] on her husband's life.

The Reagans retired to their home in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles, California|Bel Air]], [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]] in 1989. Nancy devoted most of her time to caring for her ailing husband, diagnosed in 1994 with [[Alzheimer's disease]], until his [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|death in 2004]]. Nancy Reagan has remained active in politics, particularly in relation to [[stem cell|stem-cell research]].

==Early life==
Anne Frances Robbins was born on [[July 6]], [[1921]]<ref name="Nancy Reagan: Her Life & Times"/><ref>When Nancy Davis signed with MGM, she gave her birthdate 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 year of birth.</ref> at [[Manhattan]]'s [[Sloane Hospital for Women]] in New York,<ref>{{cite book | last=Powling | first=Anne | coauthors=John O'Connor, Geoff Barton | title=New Oxford English | publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] | year=1997 | isbn=0198311923}} p. 79.</ref><ref>Some sources and websites erroneously list her as either being born in Flushing or being raised in Manhattan.</ref> the only child of car salesman Kenneth Seymour Robbins (1894&ndash;1972)<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 66</ref> and his actress wife, Edith Luckett (1888&ndash;1987).<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> She lived for her first two years in [[Flushing, Queens]] in New York.<ref name="nyt041291">{{cite news | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DE123CF931A25757C0A967958260 | title= Talk and More Talk About Nancy (That One!) in Flushing | author=David Gonzalez | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | date=[[1991-04-12]] | accessdate=2007-10-29}}</ref> While her parents divorced soon after her birth, they had already been separated for some time.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 67</ref> As her mother traveled the country to pursue acting jobs, Nancy was raised in [[Bethesda, Maryland|Bethesda]], [[Maryland]], for the next six years by her aunt Virginia and uncle Audley Gailbraith.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4297405|title=The 'just say no' first lady|accessdate=2007-10-16|publisher= MSNBC|date= [[February 18]] [[2004]]}}</ref> Nancy describes 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."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 71</ref>

In 1929, her mother married Loyal Davis (1896&ndash;1982), a prominent, politically [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] [[neurosurgeon]] who moved the family to [[Chicago]].<ref name="Nancy Reagan: Her Life & Times">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganlibrary.com/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp|title=Nancy Reagan > Her Life & Times|accessdate=2007-09-22|publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation}}</ref> Nancy and her stepfather got along very well;<ref name="nyt-lw">{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F70F1FF9395C17728DDDAF0A94D8415B8084F1D3 | title=The Biggest Role of Nancy's Life | author=[[Lally Weymouth]] | publisher=[[The New York Times Magazine]] | date=[[1980-10-26]] | accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> she would later write that he was "a man of great integrity who exemplified old-fashioned values".<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 74</ref> He formally adopted her in 1935,<ref name="Nancy Reagan: Her Life & Times"/> and she would always refer to him as her father. <ref name="nyt-lw"/> After the adoption, her name was legally changed to Nancy Davis (since birth, she had commonly been called Nancy).<ref> Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 67</ref> She attended the [[The Latin School of Chicago|Girls' Latin School of Chicago]] (describing herself as an average student), graduated in 1939, and later attended [[Smith College]] in [[Massachusetts]], where she majored in [[English language|English]] and [[drama]] and graduated in 1943.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 82</ref><ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/>

==Acting career==

[[Image:NRPOSE.jpg|thumb|right|120px|Nancy Davis poses for a publicity photo, 1950]]
Following her graduation, Davis held jobs in [[Chicago]] as a sales clerk in [[Marshall Field's]] department store and as a nurse's aide.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> With the help of her mother's colleagues in theatre, including [[Zasu Pitts]], [[Walter Huston]], and [[Spencer Tracy]],<ref name="nyt-lw"/> she pursued a career as a professional actress. She first gained a part in Pitts' 1945 road tour of ''Ramshackle Inn'',<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/><ref name="Nancy Reagan: Her Life & Times"/> then settled in [[New York City|New York]]. She landed the role of Si-Tchun, a [[lady-in-waiting]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=1771 | title=Lute Song | publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] | accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> in the 1946 [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical about the Orient, ''Lute Song'', starring [[Mary Martin]] and [[Yul Brynner]],<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> after the show's producer told her, "You look like you could be [[Han Chinese|Chinese]]."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 85</ref>

After passing a [[screen test]],<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> she signed a seven-year contract with [[MGM Studios|Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios]] (MGM) in 1949;<ref name="Nancy Reagan: Her Life & Times"/> she later remarked, "Joining Metro was like walking into a dream world."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 88</ref> Davis appeared in 11 feature films, usually [[Typecasting (acting)|typecast]] as a "loyal housewife",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcmdb.com/participant/participant.jsp?participantId=45332|115968&afiPersonalNameId=null|title=Biography for Nancy Davis|accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc|date=2007}}</ref> "responsible young mother", or "the steady woman".<ref name="cannon-gov">Cannon, Lou (2003), pp. 75–76.</ref> She kept her professional name as Nancy Davis even after marrying. Her film career began with minor roles in 1949's ''The Doctor and the Girl'' with [[Glenn Ford]], and followed with ''East Side, West Side'' starring [[Barbara Stanwyck]].<ref name= "The Films of Nancy Reagan"/> 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 ''[[The New York Times]]'' critic A. H. Weiler.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F70F1FF83E5D147B93CBA8178ED85F448585F9 | title=Another View of Psychiatrist's Task | author=A. H. Weiler (credited as "A. W.") | publisher=''[[The New York Times]]'' | date=[[1950-05-19]] | accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> 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."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FB0B14F93D5C127A93C2AA178DD85F448585F9 | title='The Next Voice You Hear ...', Dore Schary Production, Opens at Music Hall | author=[[Bosley Crowther]] | publisher=''[[The New York Times]]'' | date=[[1950-06-30]] | accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> A later critic admired the film's effort to convincingly portray Davis as pregnant—many other films from the time neglected to do so.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toptenreviews.com/scripts/eframe/url.htm?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scifilm.org%2Fmusings2%2Fmusing822.html|title= The Next Voice You Hear... (1950)|accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=SciFilm|last=Sindelar|first=Dave}}</ref> In 1951, Davis appeared in her favorite screen role,<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 91</ref> ''Night Into Morning'', a study of [[bereavement]] starring [[Ray Milland]]. ''The Times''<nowiki>'</nowiki> Crowther said that Davis "does nicely as the fiancée who is widowed herself and knows the loneliness of grief."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=FA081EFA3855177B93C3A8178DD85F458585F9 | title='Night Into Morning,' Starring Ray Milland as a Bereaved Professor, at Loew's State | author=[[Bosley Crowther]] | publisher=''[[The New York Times]]'' | date=[[1951-06-11]] | accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> Davis left MGM in 1952, seeking a broader range of parts.<ref>{{cite book | last=Wills | first=Garry | authorlink=Garry Wills | title=Reagan's America: Innocents at Home | publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] | year=1987 | isbn=0385182864}} p. 184.</ref> She soon starred in the 1953 science fiction film ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]''; 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.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F00A12FC3A5A117A93C3AB178AD85F408585F9 | title=' Donovan's Brain,' Science-Fiction Thriller, Has Premiere at the Criterion Theatre | author=[[Bosley Crowther]] | publisher=''[[The New York Times]]'' | date=[[1954-01-21]] | accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> In her last movie, ''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]'' (1957), she played nurse Lieutenant Helen Blair and shared the screen for the only time with her husband, playing what one critic called "a housewife who came along for the ride".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.toptenreviews.com/scripts/eframe/url.htm?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvdtalk.com%2Fdvdsavant%2Fs808hell.html|title=Hellcats of the Navy, review one|accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=Kleinman.com Inc|last=Erickson|first=Glenn|date=2003}}</ref> Another reviewer, however, stated that Davis plays her part well, and "does well with what she has to work with".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/hellcatsnavy.php|title=Hellcats Of The Navy, review two|accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=DVDVerdict|last=Harper|first=Erick|date=2003}}</ref>

Noted author [[Garry Wills]] believes that Davis was underrated as an actress overall, because her constrained part in ''Hellcats'' was her most widely seen performance.<ref name="cannon-gov"/> Davis seems to have downplayed her Hollywood goals: MGM promotional material in 1949 said that her "greatest ambition" was to have a "successful happy marriage";<ref name="cannon-gov"/> 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."<ref name="cannon-gov"/> Ronald Reagan biographer [[Lou Cannon]] nevertheless characterized her as a "reliable" and "solid" performer who held her own in performances with better-known actors.<ref name="cannon-gov"/> After her final film, she appeared in television dramas such as ''[[Wagon Train]]'' and ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'' until 1962, when she retired as an actress.<ref name= "The Films of Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/films.asp |title= Nancy Reagan > Her Films |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation}}</ref> During her career, she served on the board of directors of the [[Screen Actors Guild]] for nearly 10 years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sag.org/history/presidents/reagan.html|title= Screen Actors Guild Presidents |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= Screen Actors Guild}}</ref>

==Marriage and family==
[[Image:Ronald and Nancy Reagan Newlyweds.JPG|left|thumb|120px|Newlyweds Ronald and Nancy Reagan, [[March 4]], [[1952]]]]
During her career as an actress, Nancy Davis dated actors in Hollywood; she later called [[Clark Gable]], whom she dated briefly, the nicest of the stars she had met.<ref name="nyt-lw"/> On [[November 15]], [[1949]], she met Ronald Reagan,<ref name="cannon-gov-77">Cannon, Lou (2003), pp. 77–78.</ref> who was then president of the Screen Actor's Guild. Concerned that she would be confused with another actress of the same name who appeared on the [[Hollywood blacklist]], she contacted Reagan to help maintain her employment as a guild actress in Hollywood, and for assistance in having her name removed from the list.<ref name="nyt-lw"/> The two began dating and their relationship became publicly visible; one Hollywood press account described their nightclub-free times together as "the romance of a couple who have no vices".<ref name="cannon-gov-77"/> Ronald Reagan was skeptical about marriage, however, following his painful 1948 divorce from [[Jane Wyman]], and he still saw other women.<ref name="cannon-gov-77"/> He eventually proposed to Davis in the couple's favorite booth at the [[Beverly Hills]] restaurant [[Chasen's]].<ref name="cannon-gov-77"/> They married on [[March 4]], [[1952]]—in a simple ceremony designed to avoid the press<ref name= "Little Brown Church">{{cite web |url= http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/golf/sns-ap-reagan-places,0,1844441.story?page=2|title= Noteworthy places in Reagan's life|accessdate=2007-04-11|date=[[2004-06-05]]|publisher=''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''}}</ref>—at the Little Brown Church in the [[San Fernando Valley]] of [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. The only people in attendance were actor [[William Holden]], the best man, and his wife, the matron of honor.<ref name= "First Ladies: Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/nr40.html |title= First Ladies: Nancy Reagan |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= The White House}}</ref><ref name="cannon-gov-77"/>

The couple's first child, Patricia Ann Reagan (better known by her professional name, [[Patti Davis]]), was born on [[October 21]], [[1952]]. Their son, [[Ron Reagan|Ronald Prescott Reagan]], was born six years later, on [[May 20]]. Nancy Reagan is also stepmother to [[Michael Reagan]] and the late [[Maureen Reagan]], the children of her husband's first marriage to Jane Wyman.

[[Image:Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan aboard a boat in California 1964.jpg|thumb|right|Nancy and Ronald Reagan on a boat in 1964]]
[[Image:Reagan family 1967.jpg|thumb|right|The Reagan family in 1967, shortly after Ronald Reagan's inauguration as Governor of California]]
Observers described Ronald and Nancy Reagan's relationship as close, real, and intimate.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 296</ref> 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."<ref name= "Love Story"/><ref name= "By Reagan's Side, but her own person"/> Ronald often called Nancy "Mommy"; she called him "Ronnie".<ref name= "By Reagan's Side, but her own person"> {{cite web |url= http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usnanc063835985jun06,0,3872519.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines |title= By Reagan's Side, but her own person |accessdate=2007-08-15 |publisher = ''[[Newsday]]'' | author = Berry, Deborah Barfield | date = [[June 6]], [[2004]] }}</ref> While the President was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy Reagan wrote in her diary, "Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over."<ref name= "Beschloss, Michael p. 284">Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 284</ref> In a letter to Nancy, Ronald wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy&nbsp;… all would be without meaning if I didn’t have you."<ref name= "Reagan Love Story">{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4201869/|title= Reagan Love Story|publisher=NBC News|date=[[June 9]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-05-25}}</ref> In 1994, President Reagan wrote, "I have recently been told that I am one of the millions of Americans who will be afflicted with [[Alzheimer's disease]]&nbsp;… I only wish there was some way I could spare Nancy from this painful experience."<ref name= "Love Story"/> In 1998, while her husband was severely affected by the disease, Nancy told ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|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."<ref name= "Love Story">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/265714.stm|title=End of a Love Story|publisher=BBC News|date=[[June 5]], [[2004]]|accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> Nancy was known for the focused and attentive look, nicknamed "the Gaze", that she fastened upon her husband during his speeches and appearances.<ref name= "Up Next for Nancy Reagan">{{cite news |url= http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/13/Worldandnation/Up_next_for_Nancy_Rea.shtml |title= Up Next for Nancy Reagan: tending her Ronnie's flame |date = [[June 13]], [[2004]] |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]''}}</ref> President Reagan's death in June 2004 ended what actor [[Charlton Heston]] called "the greatest love affair in the history of the American Presidency."<ref name= "Love Story"/>

Nancy's relationship with her children was not always as close as that with her husband; she frequently quarreled with her biological children and her stepchildren. Her relationship with Patti was the most contentious; Patti flouted [[American conservatism]] and rebelled against her parents by joining the [[nuclear freeze|nuclear freeze movement]] and authoring many anti-Reagan books.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande05.html|title=The Reagan Children|last=Wolf|first=Julie|accessdate=2007-10-17 |date=2000 | publisher= PBS}}</ref> Nancy's disagreements with Michael were also shown publicly. In 1984, she was quoted on television 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.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), pp. 148–149</ref> They eventually made peace, however. 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.<ref name= "Love Story"/>

==First Lady of California, 1967&ndash;1975==
[[Image:Nancy Reagan as First Lady of California.jpg|thumb|right|Nancy as the First Lady of California]]
Reagan was First Lady of California during her husband's two terms as governor. She disliked living in [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], which lacked the excitement, social life, and mild climate to which she was accustomed in Los Angeles.<ref name="can-gov-233">Cannon, Lou (2003), p. 233</ref> She first attracted controversy early in 1967, when, after four months' residence in the [[California Governor's Mansion]] in Sacramento, she moved her family into a wealthy suburb because fire officials had described the mansion as a "firetrap".<ref name="nancy-135"/> Though the Reagans leased the new house at their expense,<ref name="can-gov-233"/> the move was viewed by many as snobbish. Nancy defended her actions as being for the good of her family, a judgement with which her husband readily agreed.<ref name="nancy-135">Reagan, Nancy (1989), pp. 135–137</ref><ref name="can-gov-233"/> Friends of the family later helped support the cost of the leased house, while Nancy Reagan supervised construction of a new [[ranch-style house|ranch-style]] governor's residence in nearby [[Carmichael, California|Carmichael]].<ref name="nyt111904">{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/national/19mansion.html | title=Forget the White House, Schwarzenegger Needs Digs Now | author=Charlie LeDuff | publisher=[[The New York Times]] | date=[[2004-11-19]] | accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> The new residence was finished just as Ronald Reagan left office in 1975, but his successor [[Jerry Brown]] refused to live there. It was eventually sold in 1982, and California governors have been living in improvised arrangements ever since.<ref name="nyt111904"/>

In 1967 Nancy Reagan was appointed by her husband to the [[California Arts Commission]],<ref>{{cite news | url=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf?res=F1071FF93D5E1A718DDDAE0994D9415B878AF1D3 | title=Reagan Panel Fills Arts Chief's Post After It Ousted Aide | author=Robert_Windeler |publisher=''[[The New York Times]]'' | date=[[1967-11-17]] | accessdate=2007-10-18}}</ref> and a year later was named ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''' [[Times Woman of the Year|Woman of the Year]]; in its profile, the ''Times'' labeled her "A Model First Lady".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/527764082.html?dids=527764082:527764082&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+13%2C+1968&author=LYNN+LILLISTON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=F1&desc=TIMES+WOMAN+OF+THE+YEAR | title=A Model First Lady | author=Lynn Lilliston | publisher=''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' | date=[[1968-12-13]] | accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> Her glamor, style, and youthfulness made her a frequent subject for [[Photojournalism|press photographers]].<ref name="fl-ca">{{cite book | last=Cook | first=Lynn | coauthors=Janet LaDue | title=The First Ladies of California | publisher=Xlibris Corporation | year=2007 | isbn=1425729657}} pp. 110–111.</ref> As First Lady, Reagan visited veterans, the elderly, and the handicapped, and worked with a number of charities.<ref name= "Medal Of Freedom Recipients">{{cite web |url= http://www.medaloffreedom.com/NancyReagan.htm |title= Medal of Freedom Recipients: Nancy Reagan |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= medaloffreedom.com}}</ref> She was involved with the [[Foster Grandparent Program]],<ref name= "Foster Grandparent's Program"/> helping to popularize it in the United States, then in [[Australia]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Anthony | first=Carl Sferrazza | title=America's Most Influential First Ladies | publisher=The Oliver Press | year=2003 | isbn=1881508692}} p. 135.</ref> She later expanded her work with the organization after arriving in Washington,<ref name= "Foster Grandparent's Program">{{cite web |url= http://teacher.scholastic.com/researchtools/articlearchives/civics/presid/flgall/flreagan.htm |title= Foster Grandparent's Program |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= Scholastic}}</ref> and wrote about it in her 1982 book ''To Love a Child''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63814,00.html | title=Bio: Nancy Reagan | publisher=[[Fox News]] | author=Samantha Jonas | date=[[2004-06-05]] | accessdate=2007-10-19}}</ref> The Reagans also held dinners for former [[Prisoners of War|POWs]] and [[Vietnam War]] veterans while Governor and First Lady.

==On the campaign trail==
{{main|U.S. presidential election, 1976|U.S. presidential election, 1980}}
Governor Reagan's term ended in 1975, and he did not run for a third; instead, he met with advisors to discuss a possible bid for the [[President of the United States|presidency]] in [[U.S. presidential election, 1976|1976]]. His advisors approved of the bid, but Reagan still needed to convince a reluctant Nancy.<ref>Benze, James G. (2005), p. 32</ref> Once she had approved, she contributed to his campaign by overseeing personnel, monitoring her husband's schedule, and occasionally providing [[press conference]]s.<ref name= "Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33"/> Reagan lost the 1976 Republican nomination to the incumbent President [[Gerald Ford]], but he ran again for the presidency in [[U.S. presidential election, 1980|1980]] and succeeded in winning the nomination and election. During this second campaign, Nancy's management of staff became more apparent.<ref name="Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33">Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33</ref> She arranged a meeting between feuding campaign staffers [[John Sears]] and [[Michael Deaver]] with her husband, which resulted in Deaver leaving the campaign and placing Sears in charge. 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.<ref name= "Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33"/>

==First Lady of the United States, 1981&ndash;1989==
[[Image:The Reagans waving from the limousine during the Inaugural Parade 1981.jpg|thumb|right|First Lady Nancy Reagan and President Reagan during the inaugural parade, 1981]]
[[Image:Nancy Reagan Red Room 1981.jpg|thumb|right|Mrs. Reagan models for ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' Magazine in the [[Red Room (White House)|Red Room]], 1981]]

===White House glamor===
Nancy Reagan became the First Lady of the United States when Ronald Reagan was inaugurated as President in 1981. Early in her tenure as First Lady, Reagan stated her desire to create a home in the [[White House]]. Rather than use government funds to renovate and redecorate, she sought private donations.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url= http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=41 |title=First Lady Biography: Nancy Reagan|accessdate=2007-06-02|publisher= National First Ladies Library}}</ref> Nancy drew controversy early on by announcing the purchase of 4,370 pieces of scarlet, cream and gold [[China Room|state china service]] for the White House at a cost of $210,399.<ref name= "WH China">{{cite web |url= http://www.lenox.com/cs/index.cfm?fuseaction=wh|title= "Lenox: White House"|accessdate=2007-06-02 |publisher= Lenox, Inc}}</ref> Although the china was paid for by private donations, some from the private Knapp Foundation, the purchase raised eyebrows, for it was ordered at a time when the nation was undergoing an [[Early 1980s recession|economic recession]].<ref>Klapthor, Margaret Brown (1999), p. 184</ref>

Another of Nancy Reagan's trademarks was her interest in fashion. After the presidencies of [[Gerald Ford]] (who favored the "Michigan Fight Song" over "[[Hail to the Chief]]") and [[Jimmy Carter]] (who dramatically reduced the formality of presidential functions), Nancy brought a [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]]-esque glamor back into the White House.<ref name= "Nancy's Closet">{{cite news |first= Kevin|last= West|title= Nancy's Closet|url=http://www.style.com/w/feat_story/090907/full_page.html|publisher= Style.com|accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref> Nancy favored the color red, calling it "a picker-upper", and wore it accordingly.<ref name= "Nancy's Closet"/> She chose dresses and gowns made by luxury designers, including [[James Galanos]] and [[Oscar de la Renta]]; her 1981 Galanos inaugural gown was estimated to cost $10,000.<ref name= "Nancy's Closet"/>

Her elegant fashions and wardrobe were also controversial subjects. In 1982, she revealed that she had accepted thousands of dollars in clothing, jewelry, and other gifts, but defended herself by stating that she had borrowed the clothes and that they would either be returned or donated to museums.<ref name= "Nancy's Closet"/> The new china, White House renovations, expensive clothing, and her attendance at the royal wedding of [[Prince Charles]] and [[Princess Diana]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/background/wedding1.htm|title=Britain Celebrates, Charles Takes a Bride|accessdate=2007-11-16 |publisher= ''The Washington Post''|date=[[1981-07-30]]|author=Downie, Leonard Jr.}}</ref> gave her an aura of being "out of touch" with the American people. This and her taste for splendor inspired the derogatory nickname "Queen Nancy".<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> In an attempt to deflect the criticism, she self-deprecatingly donned a [[baglady]] costume at the [[Gridiron Club|1982 Gridiron Dinner]] and sang "Second-Hand Clothes", mimicking the song "Second-Hand Rose".<ref name= "Husband's Past will shape Nancy Reagan's future">{{cite web |url= http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-06-13-nancy-reagan_x.htm|title= Husband's Past will shape Nancy Reagan |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= ''USA Today''|date=[[2004-06-13]]|author=Page, Susan}}</ref>

===President Reagan's assassination attempt===
{{main|Reagan assassination attempt}}
On [[March 30]], [[1981]], President Reagan as well as Press Secretary [[James Brady]], Secret Service agent [[Timothy McCarthy]], and Washington Police Officer [[Thomas Delahanty]] were shot as they left the [[Hilton Washington]] hotel. Nancy was alerted and arrived at [[George Washington University Hospital]] not long after the shooting took place. She recalled having seen "emergency rooms before, but I had never seen one like this—with my husband in it."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 5</ref> She was escorted into a waiting room, and when granted access to see her husband, he said to her, "Honey, I forgot to duck", borrowing the defeated boxer [[Jack Dempsey|Jack Dempsey's]] explanation to his wife.<ref name="NoonanPBS">{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/reagan.html| author=Noonan, Peggy|title= Character Above All: Ronald Reagan essay |publisher = PBS |accessdate=2007-08-15}}</ref> While President Reagan recuperated in the hospital, Nancy slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 284</ref> When Reagan was released from the hospital on [[April 12]], she escorted him back to the White House.

==="Just Say No"===
{{main|Just Say No}}
[[Image:NRJUSTSAYNO.jpg|thumb|left|Reagan gives a speech at a "[[Just Say No]]" rally in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]] in 1987.]]
Nancy Reagan launched the "[[Just Say No]]" drug awareness campaign in 1982, which was her primary project and major initiative as First Lady.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> While visiting a school in [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], [[California]], Reagan was asked by a schoolgirl what to do when offered [[illegal drug|drugs]]; Nancy's response was "Just say no."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1989/010489a.htm|title= Remarks at the Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Center Benefit Dinner in Los Angeles, California|accessdate=2007-10-03 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation |date= [[1989-01-04]] |quote= ...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.}}</ref> 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.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> Reagan traveled more than {{convert|250000|mi|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.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/>

In 1985, Nancy expanded the campaign to an international level by inviting the [[First Lady|First Ladies]] of various nations to the White House for a conference on drug abuse.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> On [[October 27]], [[1986]], President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law, which granted $1.7 billion in funding to fight the crisis and ensured a mandatory minimum penalty for [[drug-related crime|drug offense]]s.<ref name="PBS Frontline">{{cite web |url= http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/ | title= Thirty Years of America's Drug War | publisher = pbs.org | accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref> Although the bill was criticized by some, Nancy Reagan considered it a personal victory.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> In 1988, she became the first First Lady invited to address the [[United Nations General Assembly]], where she spoke on international drug interdiction and [[trafficking]] laws.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/>

[[Image:NREAGANDRUG.jpg|thumb|Reagan hosts the First Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse at the White House, 1985]]
Critics of the "Just Say No" campaign and the American "[[War on Drugs]]" argued that the program was too costly and questioned its purpose.<ref name="critics of just say no"/> Author Jeff Elliott states that the Reagan administration's synonymous use of the terms "drug use" and "drug abuse" was improper, referencing Dr. Michael Newcomb's claim that there is "no evidence that most people who experiment with drugs get hooked."<ref name="critics of just say no">{{cite web |url= http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_n5_v25/ai_13786316/pg_3|title= Just say nonsense - Nancy Reagan's drug education programs|accessdate=2007-10-10 |publisher= ''Washington Monthly''|date= May 1993|pages= 3|author=Elliott, Jeff}}</ref>

Nonetheless, a number of "Just Say No" clubs and organizations remain in operation around the country, and they aim to educate children and teenagers about the effects of drugs.<ref name= "Just Say No">{{cite web |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/just_say_no.asp |title= "Mrs. Reagan's Crusade" |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation}}</ref> In 1983, Reagan appeared as herself in an episode of the hit television drama ''[[Dynasty (TV series)|Dynasty]]'' to underscore support for the anti-drug campaign. As she continued to promote "Just Say No", she appeared in an episode of the popular 1980s sitcom ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]''<ref name= "Dynasty">{{cite web |url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0560083/|title= 'Diff'rent Strokes': The Reporter (1983)|accessdate=2007-10-18|publisher= The Internet Movie Database}}</ref> and in a 1985 rock music video, "[[Stop the Madness]]".<ref>{{cite video |people= Brian L. Dyak (Executive Producer), William N. Utz (Executive Producer)|date2=1985-12-11|title= Stop the Madness|medium=Music Video|publisher= E.I.C.|location=Hollywood, California and The White House, Washington, D.C.|accessdate=2007-11-19 |time=3:15}}</ref>

===Her husband's protector===
[[Image:President Reagan being sworn in for second term during the private ceremony held at the White House 1985.jpg|thumb|right|"The Gaze": Nancy watches as her husband is sworn in for a second term by Chief Justice [[Warren Burger]], on [[January 20]], [[1985]].]]
Reagan assumed the role of unofficial "protector" for her husband after his attempted assassination in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/05/national/main621274.shtml|title=His Fierce Protector: Nancy|accessdate= 2007-11-15|date= [[June 5]], [[2004]]|publisher=CBS}}</ref> An early example 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://webstorage3.mcpa.virginia.edu/poh/materials/oph_2002_1024_friedersdorf.pdf |title= Final Edited Transcript: Interview with Max Friedersdorf|accessdate= 2007-10-20|date= [[October 24]]–[[October 25]], [[2002]]|format= PDF|publisher= Miller Center of Public Affairs|pages= 60|quote=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.}}</ref> Nancy was outraged and demanded he leave.<ref name= "Beschloss, Michael p. 284"/>

Nancy stated in her [[memoirs]], "I felt panicky every time [Ronald] left the White House",<ref> Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 21</ref> and made it her concern to know her husband's schedule: the events he would be attending, and with whom.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> Eventually, this protectiveness led to her consulting an [[astrologer]], [[Joan Quigley]], who offered insight on which days were "good", "neutral", or should be avoided, which influenced her husband's [[White House]] schedule.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEEDF1030F93BA25750C0A966958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print|title=Stars and Strife|accessdate= 2007-11-16|date= [[March 18]], [[1990]]|publisher=''The New York Times''|author= Molly Ivins}}</ref> Days were color-coded according to the astrologer's advice to discern precisely which days and times would be optimal for the President's safety and success.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> The [[White House Chief of Staff]], [[Donald Regan]], grew frustrated with this regimen, which created friction between him and the First Lady. Regan became so angry with Nancy that he hung up on her during a 1987 telephone conversation. According to former [[ABC News]] correspondent [[Sam Donaldson]], when the President heard of this treatment, he demanded—and eventually received—Regan's resignation.<ref>{{cite video | people=Thomas, Rhys (Writer/Producer); Donaldson, Sam (interviewee)| year=2005 | url=http://store.aetv.com/html/product/index.jhtml?id=71740| title=The Presidents| medium=Documentary | publisher=A&E Television}}</ref> In his 1988 memoirs, Regan wrote about Nancy's consultations with the astrologer, which resulted in embarrassment for the First Lady.<ref>{{cite news |http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/01/AR2007050102070.html| title=Ronald Reagan, In His Own Words| author=[[Howard Kurtz]]| publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]'' | date=[[2007-05-02]] | accessdate=2007-10-20}}</ref>

===Cold War===
In 1985, 1987, and 1988, while [[Cold War]] discussions took place regarding nuclear affairs between [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet Leader]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] and President Reagan, Nancy met with Gorbachev's wife, [[Raisa Gorbachev|Raisa]]. The two women usually had tea, and discussed differences between the [[USSR]] and the United States. Their relationship was anything but the friendly, diplomatic one between their husbands; Nancy found Raisa hard to converse with and somewhat shrewd.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/> Visiting the United States for the first time in 1987, Raisa 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?"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967592-1,00.html |publisher = ''Time'' Magazine| author = Chua-Eoan, Howard G. | title = "My Wife Is a Very Independent Lady" | date = [[June 6]], [[1988]] | accessdate = 2007-10-05}}</ref> Nancy had previously encouraged her husband to hold these "summit" conferences with Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev, and suggested they form a personal relationship beforehand.<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/>

==Later life==
Though Nancy was a controversial First Lady, 56&nbsp;percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of her when her husband left office on [[January 20]], [[1989]], with 18&nbsp;percent having an unfavorable opinion and the balance not giving an opinion.<ref name= "Nancy Reagan's poll numbers">{{cite web |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/07/opinion/polls/main621632.shtml|title=A Look Back At The Polls|accessdate=2007-09-23|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc|date=[[June 7]], [[2004]]|accessate=2007-10-14}}</ref> Compared to fellow First Ladies when their husbands left office, Reagan's approval was higher than those of [[Rosalynn Carter]] and [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], however she was less popular than [[Barbara Bush]] and her disapproval rating was double that of Carter's.<ref name="Nancy Reagan's poll numbers"/>

Upon leaving the White House, the couple returned to California, where they purchased a second home in the [[Bel Air, Los Angeles, California|Bel Air]] section of Los Angeles,<ref>{{Cite news| last = Stevens| first = Pam| title =Reagan paid back his friends for house they bought for him| publisher =CNN| date = [[January 21]], [[2001]]| url =http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/reagan.house/index.html|accessdate = 2007-11-16}}</ref> dividing their time between Bel Air and the [[Rancho del Cielo|Reagan Ranch]] in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], California; Ronald and Nancy regularly attended [[Bel Air Presbyterian Church]] as well.<ref name= "Agenting for God">{{Cite news| last = Netburn| first = Deborah| title =Agenting for God | publisher = Los Angeles Times| date = [[December 24]], [[2006]]| url = http://www.latimes.com/features/printedition/magazine/la-tm-dorr52dec24,1,15290.story?coll=la-headlines-magazine| accessdate = 2007-11-16}}</ref> After leaving Washington, Nancy made numerous public appearances, many on behalf of her husband.

[[Image:Nr40.gif|thumb|left|Nancy Reagan's official White House portrait hangs in the [[Vermeil Room]].]]
===Activities===
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.<ref name= "Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp|title= Nancy Reagan: Her Life and Times|accessdate= 2007-05-12|publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation}}</ref> 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 nation, speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse. 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 & Nancy Reagan Research Institute in [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Illinois]].<ref name= "First Lady Nancy Reagan"/>

{{Rquote|right|Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.<ref name="BBC Nancy's image"/>|Nancy Reagan|May 2004}}
Also in 1989 she published ''My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan'', in which gives an account of her life in the White House, speaking openly about her influence within the Reagan administration and about the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple.<ref name= "My Turn Review">{{cite web |url= http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |title= "My Turn Review" |accessdate=2007-03-28 |publisher= A-1 Women's Discount Bookstore}}</ref> In 1991, the controversial author [[Kitty Kelley]] wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Nancy Reagan, repeating rumors of her supposed sexual relations with singer [[Frank Sinatra]], and of her poor relationship with her children. The publications ''[[USAToday]]'' and ''[[National Review]]'' state that Kelley's largely unsupported claims are most likely false.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-13-kelley-bush-book_x.htm|title=Critical book on Bushes sparks firestorm|date=2004-09-13|accessdate=2007-12-24|publisher=''USA Today''|last=Kiely|first=Kathy|quote=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.}}</ref><ref name= "Judging the Reagan's">{{cite news |url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20614FE35580C758EDDAC0894D9494D81&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fR%2fReagan%2c%20Nancy |title= Judging the Reagans |accessdate=2007-03-28 |publisher= ''The New York Times''|date=[[May 26]], [[1991]]}}</ref><ref name= "Kitty Kelley Book Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n8_v43/ai_10709718|title=Here Kitty, Kitty - public reaction to Kitty Kelley's book 'Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography'|accessdate= 2007-04-24|date= [[May 13]], [[1991]] | publisher= ''[[National Review]]''}}</ref>

Nancy Reagan was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor, by President [[George W. Bush]] on [[July 9]], [[2002]].<ref name= "President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award">{{cite press release |url= http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020709-8.html |title= President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award | date=[[July 9]], [[2002]] |accessdate=2007-03-21 |publisher= The White House}}</ref> President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993. Nancy and her husband were jointly awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] on [[May 16]], [[2002]] at the Capitol Building, and were only the third President and First Lady to receive it; she received the medal for both of them.<ref name= "Congressional Gold Medal History" <ref> {{cite web |url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |title= "Congressional Gold Medal History" |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= United States House of Representatives}} </ref>

===Ronald Reagan's funeral===
[[Image:Nancy Reagan says final goodbyes to RR June 11, 2004.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Former First Lady Nancy Reagan says her last goodbye to President Ronald Reagan on [[June 11]], [[2004]], prior to the interment and concluding a [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|week-long state funeral]] for the president.]]
{{see|Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan}}
Nancy Reagan resides in her Bel Air home, where she lived with her husband until his death on [[June 5]], [[2004]].<ref name="CNNHealth">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.health/ |title=Ronald Reagan dies at 93 |publisher=CNN |date=[[2004-06-05]] |accessdate=2007-02-07}}</ref> During the seven-day [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|state funeral]], Nancy, accompanied by her children and military escort, traveled from her home to the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library|Reagan Library]] for a memorial service, then to [[Washington, D.C.]], where her husband's body [[lie in state|lay in state]] for 34 hours prior to a national funeral service in the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. She returned to the library in California for a sunset memorial service and interment, where, overcome with emotion, she cried in public for the first time during the week. After accepting the folded flag, she kissed the casket and mouthed "I love you" before leaving.<ref name= "Reagan Laid to Rest">{{cite web |url= http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,122528,00.html |title= "Reagan Laid to Rest" |accessdate=2007-03-24 |publisher= Fox News | date = [[June 12]] [[2004]]}}</ref> Journalist [[Wolf Blitzer]] said of Reagan during the week, "She's a very, very strong woman, even though she looks frail."<ref>{{cite news |date=aired [[June 9]], [[2004]]|title=Reagan's Casket Arrives in Washington|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/09/se.03.html|format=Transcript|publisher=CNN|accessdate=2007-11-02}}</ref>

The funeral had a great impact on Reagan's public image. Following substantial criticism during her tenure as First Lady, Reagan was seen somewhat as a national heroine, praised by many for supporting and caring for her husband while he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.<ref name="BBC Nancy's image">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3794125.stm|title=Nancy Reagan emerges as public icon|publisher=BBC News|date=[[2004-06-10]] |accessdate=2007-11-02}}</ref>

===Recent life===
[[Image:Nancy Reagan Lech Kaczyński July 17, 2007 cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Nancy Reagan with Polish President [[Lech Kaczyński]] at the Reagan Library, [[July 17]], [[2007]]]]
Reagan remains active in politics, particularly relating to [[stem cell research]]. Beginning in 2004, she favored what many consider to be the [[Democratic Party (United States)|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.<ref>{{cite journal | author = Erika Check | title = Bush pressured as Nancy Reagan pleads for stem-cell research | journal = Nature | year = 2004 | volume = 429 | pages = 116| doi = 10.1038/429116a}}</ref> Although she failed to change the president's position, she did support his campaign for a second term.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-03-nancy-reagan-bush_x.htm|title= Former first lady Nancy Reagan supports Bush's re-election|accessdate=2007-10-17 |publisher=''[[USA Today]]''| date = [[August 4]], [[2004]]}}</ref>

Reagan was briefly hospitalized in 2005 upon falling during a trip to the United Kingdom,<ref name="Nancy Reagan to rest after fall in London">{{cite news |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8244659/ |title=Nancy Reagan to rest after fall in London |publisher=Associated Press |date=[[2005-06-16]] |accessdate=2007-02-07}}</ref> and attended the [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|national funeral service for Gerald Ford]] two years later in the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. She continues to present the [[Ronald Reagan Freedom Award]] to a notable person who "embodies President Reagan's lifelong belief that one man or woman truly can make a difference."<ref name= "Ronald Reagan Freedom Award"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020700141.html|title=Ex-President Bush Receives Reagan Award|publisher=''[[The Washington Post]]''|date=[[2007-02-07]] |accessdate=2007-11-16|author=Daisy Nguyen}}</ref> On [[February 6]], [[2007]], she presented the award to former President [[George H.W. Bush]]; other recipients include [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], and [[Rudy Giuliani]].<ref name= "Ronald Reagan Freedom Award">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/programs/cpa/awards.asp |title= Ronald Reagan Freedom Award |accessdate=2007-03-08 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation}}</ref> On [[May 3]] of the same year, Reagan hosted and attended the first 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates Debate at the Reagan Presidential Library. While she did not participate in the discussions, she sat in the front row and listened as the men vying to become the nation's 44th president claimed to be a rightful successor to her husband, the 40th.<ref>{{cite news|date=[[May 4]], [[2007]]|author=Nagourney, Adam|coauthors= Santora, Marc|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/us/politics/04repubs.html?hp|title= ’08 Republicans Differ on Defining Party’s Future|publisher= ''The New York Times''|accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref>

She attended the funeral of former First Lady [[Lady Bird Johnson]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], [[Texas]] on [[July 14]], [[2007]],<ref name= "Reagan Library Debate">{{cite web |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18466314/|title=Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq|accessdate= 2007-05-03|author= Alex Johnson|publisher= MSNBC | date = [[May 4]], [[2007]]}}</ref> and three days later accepted the highest Polish distinction, the [[Order of the White Eagle]], on behalf of Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Library. She mourned the death of her friends [[Merv Griffin]] and [[Michael Deaver]] in August of that year.<ref name= "Merv Griffin's Death">{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20051404,00.html|title=Friends Mourn TV Legend Merv Griffin|accessdate= 2007-07-12|publisher= ''People'' Magazine | date = [[August 13]], [[2007]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=LifeStory&PersonId=92853550|title=Obituary: Michael Deaver|accessdate= 2007-09-22|publisher= Legacy.com}}</ref> On [[October 18]], [[2007]], Reagan joined socialite [[Betsy Bloomingdale]] and [[Beverly Hills]] Mayor [[Jimmy Delshad]] in honoring her one-time fashion designer [[James Galanos]] with the [[Rodeo Drive]] Style Award.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mctdirect.com/visuals/preview.htm?doc=KRT%2Fkrtabacaphotoslive%2Fdocs%2F311%2F496|title=Designer James Galanos Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Induction Ceremony and Plaque Unveiling|accessdate= 2007-10-20|publisher= ''McClathy Tribune''| date = [[October 18]], [[2007]]}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
*''The Doctor and the Girl'' (1949)
*''East Side, West Side'' (1949)
*''[[Shadow on the Wall (film)|Shadow on the Wall]]'' (1950)
*''The Next Voice You Hear ...'' (1950)
*''Night Into Morning'' (1951)
*''It's a Big Country'' (1951)
{{col-break}}
*''Talk About a Stranger'' (1952)
*''Shadow in the Sky'' (1952)
*''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'' (1953)
*''Rescue at Sea'' (also known as ''Crash Landing''—1955)
*''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]'' (1957)<ref name= "The Films of Nancy Reagan"/>
{{col-end}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}

==References==
* {{cite book|last=Benze|first=James G., Jr.|title=Nancy Reagan: On the White House Stage|publisher=University Press of Kansas|date=2005|location=United States of America|isbn= 070061401X}}
* {{cite book|last=Beschloss|first=Michael|title=Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America|publisher=Simon & Schuster|date=2007|location=New York|isbn=0684857057}}
* {{cite book|last=Klapthor|first= Margaret Brown|date=1999|title=Official White House China: 1789 to the Present|publisher=Harry N. Abrams|isbn= 0810939932}}
* {{cite book | last=Cannon | first=Lou | authorlink=Lou Cannon | title=Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power | publisher=Public Affairs | year=2003 | isbn=1586480308}}
* {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |title= Nancy: The Autobiography of America's First Lady |year=1980 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |location = United States |isbn=9780688035334}}
* {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |title= To Love a Child | year= 1982| publisher= [[Bobbs-Merrill]]|location= United States |isbn= 0672527111}}
* {{cite book|last=Reagan|first=Nancy|coauthors= William Novak|title=My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan|publisher=Random House|date=1989|location=New York|isbn= 0394563689}}
* {{cite book |last= Reagan |first= Nancy |title= I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan | year= 2002| publisher= Random House|location= United States |isbn= 0375760512}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote|Nancy Reagan}}
{{Commons|Nancy Reagan}}
{{Commons|Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan}}
* {{imdb name|id=0004864|name= Nancy Davis}}
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/nr40.html White House profile]
* [http://www.nndb.com/people/870/000022804/ Nancy Reagan profile at NNDB]

{{featured article}}
{{start box}}
{{s-hon}}
{{succession box|
before=[[Rosalynn Carter]]|
title=[[First Ladies of the United States|First Lady of the United States]]|
years=1981–1989|
after=[[Barbara Bush (First Lady)|Barbara Bush]]}}
{{s-prec|usa}}
{{succession box
| before = [[Betty Ford]]
| title = [[United States order of precedence]]
| years = [[as of 2007]]
| after = Variable ([[Diplomatic rank#Bilateral diplomacy|ministers of foreign powers]]); next fixed is [[John Paul Stevens]]}}
{{end box}}
{{US First Ladies}}

[[Category:1921 births|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:Living people|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:People from New York City|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:First Ladies of the United States|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:Spouses of U.S. State Governors|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:American film actors|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:Reagan family|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:Smith College alumni|Reagan, Nancy Davis]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:Congressional Gold Medal recipients|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:American adoptees|Reagan, Nancy]]
[[Category:American socialites|Reagan, Nancy]]

[[bg:Нанси Рейгън]]
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[[he:ננסי רייגן]]
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[[ja:ナンシー・レーガン]]
[[pl:Nancy Reagan]]
[[pt:Nancy Davis Reagan]]
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[[zh:南希·里根]]

Revision as of 19:33, 24 December 2007

Nancy Reagan is the American Eva Peron.

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