Reagan, Nancy

NANCY DAVIS REAGAN was born on July 6, 1921, as Anne Frances Robbins. She started a career in the film industry in Hollywood in the 1940s, where as an actress, she changed her name and where she met her future husband, Ronald Reagan. They were married in 1952 in California. With the rise of her husband in political office over the next four decades, Nancy Reagan was the First Lady of California, with her husband as governor from 1967 to 1975, and then the First Lady of the United States when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980.

The couple was one of the most popular inhabitants of the White House. One of her most notable contributions as the first lady was advocating the “Just Say ...