It's On My Mind

June 30, 2020 (Tuesday)

Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, and died June 5, 2004 in Bel-Air, California. He married Nancy Davis and they had four children, Maureen, Michael, Patricia, and Ronald. He was 69 years old when he became president and served as president 1981-1989. He was the oldest president in U.S. history.

Ronald Reagan is most known for being president during the end of the Cold War with the Soviet Union. He’s also famous for his economic policy called “Reaganomics” as well as for being a Hollywood movie star who became president.

Ronald Reagan grew up in Illinois. He lived in several small towns growing up because his father, a salesman, moved the family around a lot. As a child, his family called him “Dutch” because his father thought he looked like a Dutchman. Ronald was athletic and gifted in acting. He went to Eureka College in Illinois where he was student body president and played a number of sports including football and swim team.

Reagan’s first job out of college was as a radio announcer in Iowa. In 1937 he took a screen test and landed an acting job with Warner Brothers Films. He appeared in a number of films over the next several years including Knute Rockne: All American, Kings Row, and Dark Victory.

His Hollywood career was interrupted by World War II when, in 1942, he was ordered to active duty. He spent the next four years in the army where he worked stateside on promotional films for the war.

As Reagan grew older he became more involved in politics. First he was part of the Democratic Party and then moved over to the Republicans as his views changed. In 1966 he ran for Governor of California and served for two terms. In 1980 he ran for President of the United States and won over incumbent President Jimmy Carter.

Ronald Reagan’s goal as president was to “go down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again”. In the years prior to his presidency the United States had experienced high inflation, unemployment, and rapidly rising gas prices. In addition, several American citizens were being held hostage in Iran and they had been there for over a year. Reagan wanted people to feel confident in their own abilities and to not rely on the government to take care of everything.

He had a disarming sense of humor. When he was shot by an assassin in 1981, he joked “I forgot to duck”. His favorite snack was the jelly bean. He especially loved Jelly Bellies.

He sometimes joked about his accomplishments. Examples: As a young man Ronald worked as a life guard where he rescued 77 people. For a while he worked as a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs. He acted in over 50 major movies during his Hollywood career. Occasionally he would deal with these attainments in a light-hearted way.

In order to try and get the American economy moving, Reagan made a number of changes to try and get employment up and inflation down. First he cut taxes and a variety of government programs. At the same time, he put money into strengthening the military. In 1980, the year before he took office, the inflation rate was 13.5%. Eight years later, when he left office, the inflation rate was at 4%. Unemployment rates continued to rise over his first year and half as president and then steadily declined over the next 6 years.

For many years the United States had been in what was called a “Cold War” with the Soviet Union. Both countries had the atomic bomb and were considered the two Super Powers of the world. Each side was scared if the other decided to drop the bomb, what would happen.

When Reagan became president, he was determined to make the U.S. stronger than the Soviet Union. He denounced the Soviet Union and spent lots of money building up the military and nuclear arsenal.

However, in 1985 when Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union, Reagan saw an opportunity for peace. The two leaders agreed to reduce their stockpile of nuclear missiles. Reagan is famous for his speech at the Berlin Wall where he said to Gorbachev “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall”. Two years later, in 1989, the Berlin Wall, separating communist East Germany from democratic West Germany, was torn down. The Cold War was over.

Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his old age. He died at his home in Bel Air, California on June 5, 2004. He was 93 years old.

Ronald R. Reagan – President 1981-1989

June 23, 2020 (Tuesday)

James Earl (Jimmy) Carter, Jr. was born October 1, 1924 in Plains, Georgia. He is 95 years old as this is written in June, 2020. He married Rosalynn Smith and theyhad four children, Amy, John, James, and Donnel. He was 52 years old when he became president. He served as President 1977-1981. Jimmy Carter is known for being president during a time of high inflation and rising energy costs. He is also known for being the first president from the Deep South in over 100 years.

Jimmy Carter grew up in Plains, Georgia where his father owned a peanut farm and a local store. Growing up he worked at his father’s store and enjoyed listening to baseball games on the radio. He was a good student in school and also an excellent basketball player.

After graduating from high school, Jimmy went to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. In 1946 he graduated and entered the Navy where he worked on submarines including the new nuclear powered submarines. Jimmy loved the Navy and had planned to spend his career there until his father, James Earl Carter Sr., died in 1953. Jimmy left the Navy to help with the family business.

As a prominent local businessman, Carter became involved in local politics. In 1961 he turned his eye to state politics and ran for the state legislature. After serving on the Georgia legislature, Carter ran for governor in 1966. He lost his first bid for governor, but ran again in 1970. This time he won.

Carter was governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. During that time he became known as one of the “New Southern Governors”. He called for an end to racial segregation and hired a number of minorities into state positions. Carter also used his business experience to reduce the size of the state government, cutting costs and emphasizing efficiency.

In 1976 the Democrats were looking for a candidate for president. Previous liberal candidates had lost decidedly, so they wanted someone with moderate views. In addition, due to the recent Watergate scandal, they wanted someone from outside of Washington. Carter was a perfect fit. He was an “outsider” and a conservative southern Democrat. Carter won the 1976 election becoming the 39th U.S. president.

While being an “outsider” helped to get Carter elected as president, it did not help him on the job. His lack of Washington experience caused him disagreements with the Democratic leaders in congress. They blocked many of Carter’s bills.

Carter’s presidency was also marked by escalating economic problems. Inflation and unemployment rose dramatically with many people losing their jobs. Also, the price of gas skyrocketed. There was even a shortage of gas to the point where people would line up for hours at the gas station just to try and get gas for their cars.

Carter was able to get some things accomplished, however, including establishing the Department of Energy, creating the Department of Education, pardoning citizens who had avoided fighting in the Vietnam War, and fighting for human rights throughout the world.

Perhaps Jimmy Carter’s greatest success as president was when he brought Israel and Egypt together at Camp David. They signed a peace treaty called the Camp David Accords. Egypt and Israel have been at peace ever since.

In 1979, Islamist students attacked the U.S. embassy in Iran and took 52 Americans hostage. Carter tried to negotiate their release for well over a year. He also tried a rescue mission, which failed miserably. His lack of success in freeing these hostages was seen as weakness and contributed to him losing the 1980 election to Ronald Reagan.

Carter was still a young man when he left office. He has written many books and taught classes at Emory University. He has also been involved in world diplomacy working for peace and human rights. In 2002 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. He became involved with Habitat for Humanity in 1984 and has since become its highest profile proponent. He has been involved in fund-raising and publicity as well as actual homebuilding.

Jimmy Carter – President 1977-1981

June 16, 2019 (Tuesday)

Gerald R. Ford was born July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska, and died December 26, 2006 (aged 93) in Rancho Mirage, California. He married Elizabeth Bloomer and they had four children: John, Michael, Steven and Susan. He was 61 years old at his inauguration and was president 1974-1977. He was a Republican.

Gerald Ford became president amidst the scandals of his predecessor Richard Nixon. He is the only man to become president without having been elected to the office of president or vice president.

Gerald Ford was born in Nebraska, but while he was still a baby his parents were divorced. He and his mother moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan where Gerald would grow up. His mother remarried to Gerald Ford Sr. who adopted Gerald and gave him his name. Gerald’s birth name was Leslie Lynch King.

Growing up Gerald was an excellent athlete. His best sport was football where he played center and linebacker. He went on to play for the University of Michigan where they won two national championships. Gerald also was in the Boy Scouts. He earned the Eagle Scout badge and was the only president to achieve Eagle Scout. Around 400 Eagle Scouts attended Ford’s funeral and took part in the procession.

After graduating from the University of Michigan, Gerald turned down offers to play professional football with the NFL to go to Yale Law University. While at Yale he studied law and coached the boxing team. After graduating from Yale, Ford passed the bar exam and opened his own law firm. However, soon World War II broke out and Ford enlisted in the Navy. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander while serving on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific.

In 1948 Ford was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. He served as a congressman for the next 25 years. For the last 8 years of his service he was the Minority Leader of the House. Ford earned the respect of many of his peers through this time as being a fair and honest politician.

As scandals rocked President Richard Nixon’s White House, the current Vice President Spiro Agnew resigned from office. The president needed someone the people and his fellow leaders could trust. He chose Gerald Ford and Ford took over as vice president.

Soon more information broke on the Watergate scandal and it became clear that President Nixon would be impeached. Instead of putting himself and the country through a bitter trial, Nixon resigned from office. Per the 25th Amendment, Gerald Ford was now president despite having not been elected to the office of either vice president or president.

Ford considered it his job to restore the country’s faith in their leaders and the office of president. In this effort he largely succeeded and when President Jimmy Carter took his oath of office, he began his speech with “For myself and for our Nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.”

You may read President Ford’s Inaugural Address here.

Ford continued with Nixon’s effort on foreign relations. He brokered a temporary truce in the Middle East. He also established new treaties with the Soviet Union further reducing nuclear arms.

The economy struggled, however, during Ford’s time as president. The country entered a recession with high inflation and many people losing their jobs.

Shortly after becoming president, Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he may have committed. His inaugural address included the famous statement, “Our long national nightmare is over.”  Although the pardon was expected, many people were upset with Ford for doing this and it is probably the main reason why he wasn’t elected to a second term.

Gerald Ford retired to California after leaving office. He refused to get involved in politics and led a quiet life. He lived to the old age of 93 before dying in 2006.

Gerald R. Ford – President 1974-1977

June 9, 2019 (Tuesday)

Richard M. Nixon was born January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California, and died April 22, 1994 in New York, New York. He married Patricia Ryan and they had two daughters, Patricia and Julie. He was 56 years old at his inauguration and was president 1969-1974. He was a Republican.

Richard Nixon is most known for being the only president to resign from office as a result of scandal. He is also known for ending the Vietnam War and improving U.S. relations with the Soviet Union and China.

Richard Nixon grew up the son of a grocer in Southern California. His family was poor and he had a fairly difficult childhood that included two of his brothers dying from illness. Richard was smart, though, and wanted to go to college. He paid his way through Whittier College working nights at his father’s grocery store. He enjoyed debate, sports, and drama while in college. He also earned a full scholarship to attend Duke University Law School in North Carolina.

After graduating from Duke, Richard moved back home and began practicing law. When World War II broke out, he joined the navy and served in the Pacific theatre of the war where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander before leaving the Navy in 1946.

After leaving the Navy, Nixon decided to enter politics. He first ran for the U.S. House of Representatives and won a seat in the 1946 elections. Four years later he ran for Senate and won that election as well. Nixon gained a reputation in congress for being anti-communist. This made him popular with the public.

In 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower selected Richard Nixon to be his running mate for president. Nixon served as Eisenhower’s vice president for 8 years where he was one of the most active vice presidents in U.S. history.

In many ways Nixon redefined the job of vice president doing far more than other vice presidents before him. He attended National Security and cabinet meetings and even ran several of these meetings when Eisenhower was unable to attend. When Eisenhower had a heart attack and was unable to work for six weeks, Nixon effectively ran the country. Nixon also helped shepherd legislation such as The Civil Rights Act of 1957 through congress and traveled the world conducting foreign affairs.

Nixon ran for president in 1960 and lost to John F. Kennedy. He then tried to run for governor of California and lost. He retired from politics after that and went to work on Wall Street in New York. In 1968 Nixon ran for president again, this time he won.

Although Nixon’s presidency will forever be marked by the Watergate scandal, there were many other major events and accomplishments during his presidency. They included:

Man on the Moon – Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon on July 21, 1969. Nixon spoke to the astronauts during their historic moonwalk.
Visit to China – Communist China had become a closed country, not meeting with the United States. Nixon managed to visit Chairman Mao and opened up important future relations with China.
Vietnam War – Nixon ended the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. With the Paris Peace Accords of 1973, U.S. troops were pulled out of Vietnam.
Treaties with the Soviet Union – Nixon also made a historic visit to the Soviet Union, meeting with their leader Leonid Brezhnev and signing two very important treaties: the SALT I Treaty and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Both were an effort to reduce arms and the chance of World War III.

In 1972 five men were caught breaking into the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate buildings in Washington D.C. It turned out that these men were working for the Nixon administration. Nixon denied any knowledge of the break-in. He said that his employees had done this without his permission. Later, however, tapes were discovered that had recorded Nixon discussing the break-ins. He clearly had knowledge of them and had lied.

The congress was getting ready to impeach Nixon and it was believed that the Senate had the votes to kick him out of office. Instead of going through a brutal trial, Nixon resigned and vice president Gerald Ford became president.

Nixon died from a stroke in 1994. There were five presidents present at his funeral including Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, and Gerald Ford.

Richard M. Nixon – President 1969-1974

June 2, 2019 (Tuesday)

Lyndon B. Johnson ws born August 27, 1908 near Stonewall, Texas, and died January 22, 1973 in Johnson City, Texas. He married Claudia (Lady Bird) Taylor and they had two daughters, Lynda and Luci. He served as President 1963-1969. He was a Democrat. He was 55 years old when he became President.

Lyndon Johnson was known for becoming president after President Kennedy was assassinated. His presidency is known for the passage of civil rights legislation and the Vietnam War.

Lyndon grew up in a farmhouse in the hill country near Johnson City, Texas. Although his father was a state representative, Lyndon’s family was poor and he had to work hard at chores and odd jobs to make ends meet. In high school Lyndon played baseball, enjoyed public speaking, and being on the debate team.

Lyndon wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he got out of high school, but eventually decided on teaching and graduated from Southwest Texas State Teacher’s College. He didn’t end up teaching long before he went to work for a congressman. Soon he wanted to go into politics, so he went to Georgetown University and earned his law degree.

Shortly after graduating from law school, Johnson was elected to the U.S. Congress. He served as a congressman for twelve years. During World War II he took a leave of absence from Congress to serve in the war where he earned a Silver Star.

In 1948 Johnson set his sights on the Senate. He won the election, but only by 87 votes. He earned the sarcastic nickname “Landslide Lyndon”. Johnson served the next twelve years in the Senate becoming the Senate Majority Leader in 1955.

Johnson decided to run for president in 1960. He lost the democratic nomination to John F. Kennedy, but became his vice presidential running mate. They won the general election and Johnson became vice president.

In 1963 while in a parade in Dallas, Texas, President Kennedy was assassinated. He was shot while riding in a car just ahead of Johnson. Johnson was sworn in as president by Judge Sarah Hughes aboard Air Force One at Love Field a few hours later. He then accompanied the body of President Kennedy aboard Air Force One to Washington, D.C.

Johnson wanted his presidency to usher in of a new way of life for America. He called it the Great Society where everyone would be treated equally and have equal opportunity. He used his popularity to pass legislation to help fight crime, prevent poverty, protect the voting rights of minorities, improve education, and conserve the environment.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Johnson’s presidency was the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This law made most forms of racial discrimination including segregation in schools illegal. In 1965 Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act which allowed the federal government to insure that the voting rights of all citizens regardless of race were protected.

The Vietnam War turned out to be Johnson’s downfall. Under Johnson the war escalated and U.S. involvement grew. As more and more U.S. soldiers died in the war, Johnson’s popularity began to diminish. Many people disagreed with any U.S. involvement at all and protests grew throughout the country. Johnson put his full efforts into gaining a peace settlement, but failed in the end.

After retiring to his ranch in Texas, in 1969, Lyndon Johnson died of a heart attack in January of 1973 at age 64. Lady Bird died July 11, 2007 at the age of 94.
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INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PRESIDENT JOHNSON

His wife’s nickname “Lady Bird” gave them both the same initials “LBJ”. They named their daughters so they would have the “LBJ” initials too.

Johnson City, Texas was named after a relative.

He appointed the first African American to the Supreme Court, Thurgood Marshall. He also had the first African American cabinet member when he appointed Robert C. Weaver to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Johnson once said that “Education is not a problem. Education is an opportunity.”

At 6 feet 3 ½ inches he was the second tallest president just after Abraham Lincoln at 6 feet 4 inches

Dale and Ann Pogue are personal friends of Bill Moyers, LBJ’s special assistant, press secretary and now a famous acclaimed journalist.

Lyndon B. Johnson – President 1963-1969