Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States, serving two terms from January 1981 to January 1989. A former actor and governor of California, he promoted conservative economic policies and a firm stance against the Soviet Union.
Reagan pursued supply-side economic policies—large tax cuts, deregulation, and shifts in spending—that helped lower inflation and stimulate growth but also coincided with rising federal deficits and greater income inequality.
On foreign policy he combined a military buildup and tough rhetoric toward the USSR with later diplomacy with Mikhail Gorbachev that advanced arms-control agreements; his presidency was also marred by the Iran–Contra affair.
Enacted major tax cuts with the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981; Pursued deregulation and conservative judicial appointments; Increased defense spending and advanced the Strategic Defense Initiative; Negotiated with Mikhail Gorbachev, contributing to U.S.–Soviet arms reductions; Re-elected in a 1984 landslide victory; Administration tarnished by the Iran–Contra affair
Key highlights and dated events associated with this presidency.
Showing 12 of 189 entries.
President Reagan nominated former FBI Director William H. Webster to lead the CIA, filling the vacancy left by the death of William J. Casey.
William J. Casey, Director of Central Intelligence and a key figure in the Reagan administration, died on May 6, 1987 at age 74 after a battle with a brain tumor.
On May 5, 1987 the Senate Select Committee on Secret Military Assistance to Iran and the Nicaraguan Opposition began public hearings into the Iran–Contra affair, investigating covert arms sales to Iran and diversion of proceeds to Contra rebels in Nicaragua.
The President's Special Review Board (the Tower Commission) issued its public report on the Iran–Contra affair, and President Reagan acknowledged the findings and said he would implement the panel's recommendations.
President Reagan signed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 into law, creating new federal mandatory minimum sentences and authorizing expanded funding for drug enforcement and treatment programs.
President Reagan signed the Tax Reform Act of 1986, a bipartisan overhaul that lowered individual marginal tax rates, broadened the tax base, and eliminated many deductions and shelters.
President Reagan signed SARA, reauthorizing and expanding the Superfund program to increase cleanup funding, strengthen enforcement, and improve state and community roles in hazardous-waste remediation.
The two-day Reykjavik summit between President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev ended without a signed pact after talks produced sweeping but ultimately unresolved proposals for deep nuclear arms reductions and limits on strategic defense research.
President Reagan met Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland, for a two-day summit focused on deep nuclear-arms reductions and the future of missile-defense programs.
After President Reagan vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, both the House and Senate voted to override his veto, enacting the bill into law.
President Reagan vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, rejecting a bill that would impose broad economic sanctions on South Africa to pressure an end to apartheid.
President Reagan signed the Goldwater–Nichols Act, a major reorganization of the Department of Defense that strengthened the authority of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and improved joint warfighting and operational command.