Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004) was an American politician and conservative spokesman who served as the 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. Prior to his presidency, he served as the 33rd Governor of California from 1967 to 1975, following a career as an actor and union leader in Hollywood.

Raised in a poor family in small towns in Northern Illinois, he graduated from Eureka College in 1932 and worked as a sports announcer on regional radio stations. Moving to Hollywood in 1937, he became a television and film actor, starring in a few major productions. Reagan was twice elected as President of the Screen Actors Guild, where he tried to root out Communist influence. In the 1950s he was a spokesman for General Electric.

Having been a lifelong Democrat, his views changed, and he switched to the Republican Party in 1962. In 1964, Reagan's speech, "A Time for Choosing", in support of Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign, earned him national attention. He was elected governor of California in 1966. As governor, Reagan turned a state budget deficit to a surplus, ordered National Guard troops in during a period of protest movements in 1969, and was re-elected in 1970. He twice ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nominations in 1968 and 1976; four years later, he would win the nomination outright, going on to be elected the oldest President, defeating incumbent Jimmy Carter in 1980.