| Cause of Death | Age | Burial Location | President Grave # |
| Alzheimer's disease; Pneumonia | 93 | Simi Valley, California | 33rd in my collection |
Ronald Reagan became known to many
Americans for the first time as an actor in
movies such as Knute Rockne, All American.
He later became the governor of California
and president of the United States, and is
interred at his presidential library.
Reagan was laid to rest on June 11, 2004.
Early that morning, my father and I walked
around the president's casket as he lied in
state in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
104,684 people total paid their respects to
Reagan at the Capitol.
The quote inscribed on Reagan's grave reads:
"I know in my heart that man is good. That
what is right will always eventually triumph.
And there is purpose and worth to each and
every life."
The view from the Reagan's grave makes
for the most scenic presidential burial site,
in my opinion. It overlooks the beautiful
Simi Valley, which contains the city of the
same name.
*** Interesting Facts ***
* Reagan's childhood, all of which was spent in Illinois, was not easy. His father, Jack Reagan, was frequently unemployed and suffered from alcoholism. Once, when he was eleven years old the future president came home to find his father, drunken and collapsed, on the front porch. Although he at first left him where he lie, the boy discovered there was no one else to help the man so he dragged him inside the household and got him to bed.
* Prior to entering politics, Ronald Reagan was a popular actor. He acted in such films as Kings Row, Bedtime for Bonzo, and Knute Rockne, All American. From 1947 to 1952, he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild, which is a labor union that represents actors and actresses. It was through his career in the film industry that Reagan met both his first and second wife. He had co-starred with Jane Wyman in the 1938 movie Brother Rat, as well as its sequel, which was released in 1940, the year the two performers were wed. When they divorced in 1948, Wyman stated, "There was nothing in common between us, nothing to sustain our marriage." The following year, Reagan came to the aid of a young actress named Nancy Davis, who had found out that her name was on a list of people in the entertainment business who were members of questionable political organizations and affiliations. This list kept many writers and performers out of work during the 1940's and '50's. Reagan, who was the SAG's president at the time, told her that she had been confused with someone with the same name. The two bonded, and were married in 1952.
* On March 30, 1981, President Reagan delivered a speech at the Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C. While he was exiting the hotel, the deranged John Hinckley, Jr. took aim and fired six shots at the president. The first five bullets either hit innocent bystanders or missed completely, while the sixth shot ricocheted off the presidential limousine and entered the president’s chest through his armpit, lodging in one of his lungs. After quick thinking by a Secret Service agent, Reagan was taken to George Washington University Hospital. Following surgery, the president recovered. James Brady, Reagan’s press secretary, was shot in the head and was paralyzed. The other two wounded survived as well. At the conclusion of Hinckley’s trial the following year, it was ruled that he was mentally ill, and was therefore not guilty. Hinckley was obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, and believed that assassinating the president would impress her.
First Lady: Nancy Davis Reagan
- Spouse: Jane Wyman (m. 1940-1949)
Nancy Davis Reagan (m. 1952-2004)
Political Party: Republican Party
Vice President: George Herbert Walker Bush
Last Words: Unknown
