View source for Nancy Reagan

{{short description|First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989}}{{Distinguish|Nancy Reagan Foster}}{{redirect|Nancy Davis|other people with the same name}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image               = Nancy Reagan.jpg
| alt                 = A headshot of Nancy Reagan, a smiling middle-aged woman with short hair dressed in red, facing the camera with a large arched window in the background.
| caption             = Official portrait, 1983
| office              = [[First Lady of the United States]]
| president           = [[Ronald Reagan]]
| term_start          = January 20, 1981
| term_end            = January 20, 1989
| term_label          = In role
| predecessor         = [[Rosalynn Carter]]
| successor           = [[Barbara Bush]]
| office1             = [[First Lady of California]]
| governor1           = Ronald Reagan
| term_start1         = January 2, 1967
| term_end1           = January 6, 1975
| term_label1         = In role
| predecessor1        = [[Bernice Layne Brown|Bernice Brown]]
| successor1          = [[Gloria Deukmejian]] (1983)
| birth_name          = Anne Frances Robbins
| birth_date          = {{birth date |1921|7|6}}
| birth_place         = New York City,<!-- DO NOT LINK this, see [[MOS:OVERLINK]]. --> U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|2016|3|6|1921|7|6}}
| death_place         = Los Angeles, California,<!-- DO NOT LINK this, see [[MOS:OVERLINK]]. --> U.S.
| restingplace        = [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum]]
| party               = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|[[Ronald Reagan]]|March 4, 1952|June 5, 2004|reason=<!-- DO NOT LINK this, see [[MOS:OVERLINK]]. -->died}}
| children            = {{hlist|[[Patti Davis|Patti]]|[[Ron Reagan|Ron]]}}
| mother              = [[Edith Luckett Davis]]
| education           = [[Smith College]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])
| signature           = NanReaganSignature.png
| module              = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=Nancy Reagan voice.ogg
|title=Nancy Reagan's voice|type=speech|description=Nancy Reagan on the [[federal drug policy of the United States]]<br />Recorded October 2, 1982}}
}}
'''Nancy Davis Reagan'''{{efn|Pronounced {{IPAc-en|ˈ|r|eɪ|ɡ|ən|audio=en-us-Reagan.oga}} {{respell|RAY|gən}}{{sfn|Brands|2015|p=261}}}} (born '''Anne Frances Robbins'''; July 6, 1921&nbsp;– March 6, 2016) was an American actress who was the [[first lady of the United States]] from 1981 to 1989, as the second wife of [[Ronald Reagan]], the 40th [[president of the United States]].

Reagan was born in New York City. After her parents separated, she lived in [[Maryland]] with an aunt and uncle for six years. When her mother remarried in 1929, she moved to Chicago and was adopted by her mother's second husband. As '''Nancy Davis''', she was a Hollywood actress in the 1940s and 1950s, starring in films such as ''[[The Next Voice You Hear...]]'', ''[[Night into Morning]]'', and ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]''. In 1952, she married Ronald Reagan, who was then president of the [[Screen Actors Guild]]. He had two children from his previous marriage to [[Jane Wyman]],<ref name="Percha">{{cite news |last=Percha |first=Julie |date=March 6, 2016 |title=Nancy Reagan, Former First Lady, Dies at 94 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nancy-reagan-lady-dies-94/story?id=3349362 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106193042/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/nancy-reagan-lady-dies-94/story?id=3349362 |archive-date=January 6, 2023 |access-date=March 6, 2016 |work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]}}</ref> and he and Nancy had two children together. Nancy Reagan was the first lady of California when her husband was [[Governor of California|governor]] from 1967 to 1975, and she began to work with the [[Foster Grandparents Program]].

Reagan became First Lady of the United States in January 1981, following her husband's victory in the [[1980 United States presidential election|1980 presidential election]]. Early in his first term, she was criticized largely due to her decisions both to replace the [[White House china]], which had been paid for by private donations, and to accept free clothing from fashion designers. She championed opposition to [[recreational drug use]] when she founded the "[[Just Say No]]" drug awareness campaign, considered her major initiative as First Lady, although it received substantial criticism for stigmatizing poor communities affected by the [[Crack epidemic in the United States|crack epidemic]]. More discussion of her role ensued following a 1988 revelation that she had consulted an [[astrologer]] to assist in planning the president's schedule after the [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|attempted assassination of her husband in 1981]]. She generally had a strong influence on her husband and played a role in a few of his personnel and diplomatic decisions.

The couple returned to their home in [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]], California, after leaving the White House. Reagan devoted most of her time to caring for her husband, who was diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]] in 1994, until [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|his death]] at the age of 93 on June 5, 2004. Reagan remained active within the [[Reagan Library]] and in politics, particularly in support of [[embryonic stem cell research]], until her death from [[congestive heart failure]] at age 94 in 2016. She gained high approval ratings in later life for her devotion to her husband in his final illness.
{{TOC level|3}}

== Early life and education ==
Anne Frances Robbins was born in [[Manhattan]] on July 6, 1921, but throughout her life she told others she was born in 1923.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=583}} Her parents were used car salesman Kenneth Robbins and retired actress [[Edith Luckett Davis|Edith Luckett]].{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=583}}{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=451}} The actress [[Alla Nazimova]] was her godmother.{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=337}} She was named Anne after her great-great-great-grandmother,{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=583}} but her mother took to calling her "Nancy" until that became the name she was known by.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=451}} Robbins lived her first two years in [[Flushing, Queens|Flushing]], a neighborhood in Queens, in a two-story house on [[Roosevelt Avenue]] between 149th and 150th Streets.<ref name="nyt041291">{{cite news |last=Gonzalez |first=David |date=April 12, 1991 |title=Talk and More Talk About Nancy (That One!) in Flushing |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/12/nyregion/talk-and-more-talk-about-nancy-that-one-in-flushing.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112014432/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/12/nyregion/talk-and-more-talk-about-nancy-that-one-in-flushing.html |archive-date=November 12, 2012 |access-date=October 29, 2007 |newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref> 

Robbins' parents split in 1923 when her mother decided to return to acting and the couple could not agree on where to live.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=583}} Her father removed himself from her life, and her mother resumed work as a stage actress.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=451}} Robbins was placed with her mother's sister, Virginia Galbraith, in [[Bethesda, Maryland]], along with her uncle and cousin.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} She attended [[Sidwell Friends School]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=337}} Robbins missed her mother while living with her aunt, and they made trips to New York so she could see her mother perform on stage.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=583}} She emulated her mother by wearing makeup and pretending to be an actress.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=452}} Robbins' parents finalized their divorce in 1928.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} Later analysis of her life has focused on this unstable family environment as a reason why she held marriage as a life goal.{{Sfn|Caroli|2010|p=279}}{{Sfn|Roberts|2016|p=585}}{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=584}}

Robbins's mother remarried in 1929, giving her a stepfather at age seven. Loyal Davis was a neurosurgeon, and the family moved to Chicago together where she formed a close bond with her stepfather.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=452}}{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} She would always refer to him as her father.<ref name="nyt-lw">{{cite news |last=Weymouth |first=Lally |author-link=Lally Weymouth |date=October 26, 1980 |title=The Biggest Role of Nancy's Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/10/26/archives/the-biggest-role-of-nancys-life-nancy.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223130900/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9805EED81238E232A25755C2A9669D94619FD6CF&legacy=true |archive-date=February 23, 2017 |access-date=October 20, 2007 |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |format=fee required}}</ref> She also had a stepbrother but did not develop a close relationship with him.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=584}} She attended Girls' Latin School in Chicago, where she involved in Drama Club,{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=452}} field hockey, and student government. In her senior year, she had the lead role in the school play ''First Lady''.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=584}}

Having a wealthy neurosurgeon as a stepfather meant a comfortable childhood where Robbins lived beyond the means of most Americans, and the family socialized in [[high society]].{{Sfn|Boller|1988|pp=451–452}} Her mother's career also meant that Robbins had regular interactions with famous actors of the day, especially with their family friends [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[Walter Huston]], and [[Spencer Tracy]].{{Sfn|Roberts|2016|p=586}}{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=584}} Her stepfather's conservative beliefs were a strong influence on her own politics.{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=584}}

Robbins was adopted by her stepfather at age fourteen, and she changed her legal name to Nancy Davis.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=452}} In 1939, Davis left Girls' Latin School and began attending [[Smith College]] in [[Northampton, Massachusetts]], where she studied English and drama.{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=337}} Among her instructors was [[Federal Theatre Project]] director [[Hallie Flanagan]].{{Sfn|Benze|1996|p=586}} Davis was a [[debutante]] that December,{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=452}} where she met Frank Birney, who kept introducing himself to her under different names to make her comfortable.{{Sfn|Roberts|2016|p=586}} They were eventually engaged,{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} but he was struck by a train and killed before they were married.{{Sfn|Roberts|2016|p=586}}

Davis graduated from Smith College in 1943.{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=337}} She took a job as a sales clerk at [[Marshall Field's]] in Chicago,{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=337}} but she left the job before long and volunteered as a nurse's aide.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}}

[[File:Formal Photograph of Nancy Davis and Edith Davis.jpg|thumb|Young Nancy with her mother, actress [[Edith Luckett]]<!--The date provided by the National Archives Catalog is January 1931, but this is obviously wrong. Mrs. Reagan was born in July 1921 and would have been 9½ years old at that time.-->]]

== Acting career ==
Davis moved to New York to work as an actress and model under the tutelage of [[Walter Huston]] and Spencer Tracy.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} This began when family friend [[ZaSu Pitts]] got her a role in the play ''[[Ramshackle Inn]]'' on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1945.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}}{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=338}} She had a total of three lines.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=453}} Although the play closed soon after, she followed it with a role in ''[[Lute Song (musical)|Lute Song]]''.{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} Davis dated [[Clark Gable]] for one week,{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} which brought her a higher public profile.{{Sfn|Roberts|2016|p=586}}[[File:Publicity Shot of Nancy Davis.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Davis, {{circa}} 1949–50]]
In 1940, a young Davis had appeared as a [[National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis]] volunteer in a memorable short subject film shown in movie theaters to raise donations for the crusade against [[Poliomyelitis|polio]]. ''The Crippler'' featured a sinister figure spreading over playgrounds and farms, laughing over its victims, until finally dispelled by the volunteer. It was very effective in raising contributions.<ref>{{cite book |last= Oshinsky |first= David M. |title= Polio: An American Story |year= 2005 |publisher= Oxford University Press |location= New York |page= [https://archive.org/details/polioamericansto00oshi/page/68 68] |url= https://archive.org/details/polioamericansto00oshi/page/68 |isbn= 978-0-19-515294-4 }}</ref>

She landed the role of Si-Tchun, a [[lady-in-waiting]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1771 | title=Lute Song | publisher=[[Internet Broadway Database]] | access-date=October 18, 2007 | archive-date=September 24, 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924142823/http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=1771 | url-status=live }}</ref> in the 1946 Broadway musical about the Orient, ''[[Lute Song (musical)|Lute Song]]'', starring [[Mary Martin]] and a pre-fame [[Yul Brynner]].<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> The show's producer told her, "You look like you could be Chinese."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 85.</ref>

Davis went to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 1949 when [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] asked her to participate in a [[screen test]]. Her mother worked with Tracy to get director [[George Cukor]] to evaluate the test, and Davis was offered a seven-year contract.{{Sfn|Boller|1988|p=453}}{{Sfn|Schneider|Schneider|2010|p=320}} She appeared in eleven movies over the following years, where she was [[typecast]] as a wife and mother.{{Sfn|Hendricks|2015|p=338}} She later remarked, "Joining Metro was like walking into a dream world."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 88.</ref> Her combination of attractive appearance—centered on her large eyes—and somewhat distant and understated manner made her hard at first for MGM to cast and publicize.<ref name="metzger-32">Metzger, Robert Paul (1989), pp. 31–32.</ref> [[Jane Powell]], [[Debbie Reynolds]], [[Leslie Caron]], and [[Janet Leigh]] were among the actresses with whom she competed for roles at MGM.<ref name="metzger-32" />

[[File:Nancy Reagan - 1950.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Davis in 1950]]

Davis' film career began with small supporting roles in two films that were released in 1949, ''[[The Doctor and the Girl]]'' with [[Glenn Ford]] and ''[[East Side, West Side (1949 film)|East Side, West Side]]'' starring [[Barbara Stanwyck]].<ref name="The Films of Nancy Reagan" /> She played a [[Child and adolescent psychiatry|child psychiatrist]] in the [[film noir]] ''[[Shadow on the Wall (1950 film)|Shadow on the Wall]]'' (1950) with [[Ann Sothern]] and [[Zachary Scott]]; her performance was called "beautiful and convincing" by ''[[The New York Times|New York Times]]'' critic A. H. Weiler.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/05/19/archives/another-view-of-psychiatrists-task.html | title=Another View of Psychiatrist's Task | author=A. H. Weiler (credited as "A. W.") | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=May 19, 1950 | access-date=October 18, 2007 | archive-date=March 6, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306195150/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9805EED91539E13BBC4152DFB366838B649EDE | url-status=live }}</ref> She co-starred in 1950's ''[[The Next Voice You Hear...]]'', playing a pregnant housewife who hears the voice of God from her radio. Influential reviewer [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''The New York Times'' wrote that "Nancy Davis [is] delightful as [a] gentle, plain, and understanding wife."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1950/06/30/archives/the-screen-in-review-the-next-voice-you-hear-dore-schary-production.html | title='The Next Voice You Hear ... ', Dore Schary Production, Opens at Music Hall | author=Bosley Crowther | newspaper=The New York Times | date=June 30, 1950 | access-date=October 18, 2007 | author-link=Bosley Crowther | archive-date=March 7, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307015633/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9401E5D81638E73ABC4850DFB066838B649EDE | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1951, Davis appeared in ''[[Night into Morning]]'', her favorite screen role,<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 91.</ref> a study of bereavement starring [[Ray Milland]]. Crowther said that Davis "does nicely as the fiancée who is widowed herself and knows the loneliness of grief",<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/11/archives/the-screen-in-review-night-into-morning-starring-ray-milland-as-a.html | title='Night Into Morning,' Starring Ray Milland as a Bereaved Professor, at Loew's State | author=Bosley Crowther | newspaper=The New York Times | date=June 11, 1951 | access-date=October 18, 2007 | author-link=Bosley Crowther | archive-date=November 28, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128163225/https://www.nytimes.com/1951/06/11/archives/the-screen-in-review-night-into-morning-starring-ray-milland-as-a.html | url-status=live }}</ref> while another noted critic, ''[[The Washington Post]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Richard L. Coe]], said Davis "is splendid as the understanding widow".<ref>{{cite news|title='Night Into Morning' Is Almost Excellent |author=Richard L. Coe |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=June 9, 1951 |author-link=Richard L. Coe }}</ref> MGM released Davis from her contract in 1952;<ref name="metzger-33">Metzger, Robert Paul (1989), p. 33.</ref> she sought a broader range of parts,<ref>Wills (1987), p. 184.</ref> but also married Reagan, keeping her professional name as Davis, and had her first child that year.<ref name="metzger-33" /> She soon starred in the science fiction film ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'' (1953); Crowther said that Davis, playing the role of a possessed scientist's "sadly baffled wife", "walked through it all in stark confusion" in an "utterly silly" film.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/01/21/archives/the-screen-in-review-donovans-brain-sciencefiction-thriller-has.html | title=' Donovan's Brain,' Science-Fiction Thriller, Has Premiere at the Criterion Theatre | author=Bosley Crowther | newspaper=The New York Times | date=January 21, 1954 | access-date=October 20, 2007 | author-link=Bosley Crowther | archive-date=February 5, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160205191956/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F00E3DD113EE43ABC4951DFB766838F649EDE | url-status=live }}</ref> In her next-to-last movie, ''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]'' (1957), she played nurse Lieutenant Helen Blair, and appeared in a film for the only time with her husband, playing what one critic called "a housewife who came along for the ride".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.toptenreviews.com/scripts/eframe/url.htm?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvdtalk.com%2Fdvdsavant%2Fs808hell.html|title=Hellcats of the Navy, review one|access-date=October 17, 2007|publisher=Kleinman.com Inc|last=Erickson|first=Glenn|year=2003|archive-date=May 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510134001/http://www.toptenreviews.com/scripts/eframe/url.htm?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dvdtalk.com%2Fdvdsavant%2Fs808hell.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Another reviewer, however, stated that Davis plays her part satisfactorily, and "does well with what she has to work with".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/hellcatsnavy.php |title=Hellcats Of The Navy, review two |access-date=October 17, 2007 |publisher=DVDVerdict |last=Harper |first=Erick |year=2003 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080218212614/http://www.dvdverdict.com/reviews/hellcatsnavy.php |archive-date=February 18, 2008 }}</ref>

[[File:Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan aboard a boat in California 1964.jpg|thumb|right|Nancy and Ronald Reagan aboard a boat, 1964]]

Author [[Garry Wills]] has said that Davis was generally underrated as an actress because her constrained part in ''Hellcats'' was her most widely seen performance.<ref name="cannon-gov">Cannon, Lou (2003), pp. 75–76.</ref> In addition, Davis downplayed her Hollywood goals: promotional material from MGM in 1949 said that her "greatest ambition" was to have a "successful happy marriage"; decades later, in 1975, she would say, "I was never really a career woman but [became one] only because I hadn't found the man I wanted to marry. I couldn't sit around and do nothing, so I became an actress."<ref name="cannon-gov" /> Ronald Reagan biographer [[Lou Cannon]] nevertheless characterized her as a "reliable" and "solid" performer who held her own in performances with better-known actors.<ref name="cannon-gov" /> After her final film, ''[[Crash Landing (1958 film)|Crash Landing]]'' (1958), Davis appeared for a brief time as a guest star in television dramas, such as the ''[[Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre|Zane Grey Theatre]]'' episode "The Long Shadow" (1961),<ref>https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/reagans/nancy-reagan/nancy-reagans-acting-career. ''“Nancy Reagan's Acting Career”''. Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives. www.reaganlibrary.gov. Retrieved August 6, 2025</ref> where she played opposite Ronald Reagan, as well as ''[[Wagon Train]]'' and ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'', until she retired as an actress in 1962.<ref name="The Films of Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url= http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/films.asp |title= Nancy Reagan > Her Films |access-date=March 8, 2007 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070812232914/http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/films.asp |archive-date = August 12, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

During her career, Davis served for nearly ten years on the board of directors of the [[Screen Actors Guild]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sag.org/ronald-reagan|title=Screen Actors Guild Presidents|access-date=March 8, 2007|publisher=Screen Actors Guild|archive-date=November 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121222013/http://www.sag.org/ronald-reagan|url-status=live}}</ref> Decades later, [[Albert Brooks]] attempted to coax her out of acting retirement by offering her the title role opposite himself in his 1996 film ''[[Mother (1996 film)|Mother]]''.<ref name="peo012797" /> She declined in order to care for her husband, and Debbie Reynolds played the part.<ref name="peo012797">{{cite news |url=http://www.albertbrooks.com/1997/01/to-the-top/ |title=To The Top |author=Lambert, Pat |magazine=[[People (American magazine)|People]] |date=January 27, 1997 |access-date=January 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707005647/http://www.albertbrooks.com/1997/01/to-the-top/ |archive-date=July 7, 2012 }}</ref>

== Marriage and family ==
[[File:Ronald and Nancy Reagan Newlyweds.JPG|left|thumb|upright|Newlyweds Ronald and Nancy Reagan, March 4, 1952]]
During her Hollywood career, Davis dated many actors, including [[Clark Gable]], [[Robert Stack]], and [[Peter Lawford]];<ref name="metzger-33" /> she later called Gable the nicest of the stars she had met.<ref name="nyt-lw" /> On November 15, 1949, she met Ronald Reagan,<ref name="cannon-gov-77">Cannon, Lou (2003), pp. 77–78.</ref> who was then president of the Screen Actors Guild. She had noticed that her name had appeared on the [[Hollywood blacklist]]. Davis sought Reagan's help to maintain her employment as a guild actress in Hollywood and for assistance in having her name removed from the list.<ref name="nyt-lw" /> Ronald Reagan informed her that she had been confused with another actress of the same name.<ref name="nyt-lw" /> The two began dating and their relationship was the subject of many gossip columns; one Hollywood press account described their nightclub-free times together as "the romance of a couple who have no vices".<ref name="cannon-gov-77" /> Ronald Reagan was skeptical about marriage, however, following his painful 1949 divorce from [[Jane Wyman]], and he still saw other women.<ref name="cannon-gov-77" />

After three years of dating, they eventually decided to marry while discussing the issue in the couple's favorite booth at [[Chasen's]], a restaurant in [[Beverly Hills, California|Beverly Hills]].<ref name="cannon-gov-77" /> The couple wed on March 4, 1952, at the Little Brown Church in the [[San Fernando Valley]] of Los Angeles, in a simple, hastily arranged ceremony designed to avoid the press; the marriage was her first and his second.<ref name="Little Brown Church in the Valley">{{cite web |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/golf/sns-ap-reagan-places,0,1844441.story?page=2 |title=Noteworthy places in Reagan's life |access-date=April 11, 2007 |date=June 5, 2004 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930022232/http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/golf/sns-ap-reagan-places%2C0%2C1844441.story?page=2 |archive-date=September 30, 2007 }}</ref> The only people in attendance were fellow actor [[William Holden]] (the best man) and his wife, actress [[Brenda Marshall]] (the matron of honor).<ref name="cannon-gov-77" /><ref name="First Ladies: Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url= https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/first-ladies/nancyreagan |work= [[whitehouse.gov]] |title= First Ladies: Nancy Reagan |via= [[NARA|National Archives]] |access-date= March 8, 2007 |archive-date= January 20, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170120221709/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/first-ladies/nancyreagan |url-status= live }}</ref> In her second memoir, Nancy acknowledged that she was already pregnant; the couple's first child, Patricia Ann Reagan (later better known by her professional name, [[Patti Davis]]), was born less than eight months later on October 21, 1952. Their son, Ronald Prescott Reagan (later better known as [[Ron Reagan]]) was born six years later on May 20, 1958. Reagan also became stepmother to [[Maureen Reagan]] (1941–2001) and [[Michael Reagan]] (b. 1945), her husband's children from his marriage to Jane Wyman.
[[File:Reagan wedding - Holden - 1952.jpg|thumb|Matron of honor [[Brenda Marshall]] and best man [[William Holden]], sole guests at the Reagans' wedding, flank the newlywed couple]]

Observers described Nancy and Ronald's relationship as intimate.<ref>Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 296.</ref> As president and first lady, the Reagans were reported to display their affection frequently, with one press secretary noting, "They never took each other for granted. They never stopped courting."<ref name="Love Story" /><ref name="By Reagan's Side, but her own person" /> Ronald often called Nancy "Mommy"; she called him "Ronnie".<ref name="By Reagan's Side, but her own person">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usnanc063835985jun06,0,3872519.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050401080719/http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/ny-usnanc063835985jun06%2C0%2C3872519.story?coll=ny-nationalnews-headlines |archive-date=April 1, 2005 |title=By Reagan's Side, but her own person |access-date=August 15, 2007 |work=[[Newsday]] |author=Berry, Deborah Barfield |date=June 6, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref> While the president was recuperating in the hospital after the 1981 assassination attempt, Nancy wrote in her diary, "Nothing can happen to my Ronnie. My life would be over."<ref name="Beschloss, Michael p. 284">Beschloss, Michael (2007), p. 284.</ref> In a letter to Nancy, Ronald wrote, "whatever I treasure and enjoy ... all would be without meaning if I didn't have you."<ref name="Reagan Love Story">{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4201869|title=Reagan Love Story|publisher=NBC News|date=June 9, 2004|access-date=May 25, 2007|archive-date=January 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116091857/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4201869/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1998, a few years after her husband had been given a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Nancy told ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'', "Our relationship is very special. We were very much in love and still are. When I say my life began with Ronnie, well, it's true. It did. I can't imagine life without him."<ref name="Love Story">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/265714.stm|title=End of a Love Story|work=BBC News|date=June 5, 2004|access-date=March 21, 2007|archive-date=September 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922105155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/265714.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Nancy was known for the focused and attentive look, termed "the Gaze", that she fastened upon her husband during his speeches and appearances.<ref name="Up Next for Nancy Reagan">{{cite news |url= http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/13/Worldandnation/Up_next_for_Nancy_Rea.shtml |title= Up Next for Nancy Reagan: tending her Ronnie's flame |date= June 13, 2004 |access-date= March 8, 2007 |newspaper= [[St. Petersburg Times]] |archive-date= December 22, 2004 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20041222201610/http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/13/Worldandnation/Up_next_for_Nancy_Rea.shtml |url-status= live }}</ref>

President Reagan's death in June 2004 ended what [[Charlton Heston]] called "the greatest love affair in the history of the American Presidency".<ref name="Love Story" />

[[File:Photograph of Governor Ronald Reagan, Ron Junior, Mrs. Reagan, and Patti Davis - NARA - 198603.jpg|thumb|left|The Reagan family, {{circa|1967}}]]

Nancy frequently quarreled with her biological children and her stepchildren, and was estranged from all of them at various points, as was Ronald. Her relationship with Patti was the most contentious; Patti flouted [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatism]], rebelled against her parents by joining the [[Nuclear disarmament|nuclear freeze]] movement, and authored many anti-Reagan books.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande05.html|title=The Reagan Children|last=Wolf|first=Julie|access-date=October 17, 2007|year=2000|publisher=PBS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071110040116/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande05.html|archive-date=November 10, 2007}}</ref> Patti became estranged from her parents.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6478080|title=Reagan daughter shares her story|author=Couric, Katie|access-date=June 4, 2009|date=November 14, 2004|publisher=NBC News|archive-date=March 28, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328050330/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/6478080/|url-status=live}}</ref> Soon after her father's Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed, Patti and her mother reconciled and began to speak on a daily basis.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/road-to-a-reconciliation/|date=March 27, 2009|access-date=June 4, 2009|title=Road To A Reconciliation|publisher=CBS|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515191309/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/27/sunday/main4898395.shtml?source=RSS&attr=_4898395|url-status=live}}</ref> Nancy's disagreements with Michael were also public matters; in 1984, she was quoted as saying that the two were in an "estrangement right now". Michael responded that Nancy was trying to cover up for the fact she had not met his daughter, Ashley, who had been born nearly a year earlier.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), pp. 148–149.</ref> They too eventually made peace. Nancy was thought to be "closest" to her stepdaughter Maureen during the White House years, but earned a reputation for being a poor mother.<ref name="Love Story" />

== First Lady of California (1967–1975) ==
[[File:Nancy Reagan as First Lady of California.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Reagan as the first lady of California]]
Nancy Reagan was First Lady of California during her husband's two terms as governor. She disliked living in the state capital of [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]], which lacked the excitement, social life, and mild climate to which she was accustomed in Los Angeles.<ref name="can-gov-233">Cannon, Lou (2003), p. 233.</ref> She first attracted controversy early in 1967; after four months' residence in the [[Governor's Mansion State Historic Park|California Governor's Mansion]] in Sacramento, she moved her family into a wealthy suburb because fire officials had labelled the mansion as a "firetrap".<ref name="nancy-135" /> Though the Reagans had leased the new house at their expense,<ref name="can-gov-233" /> the move was viewed as snobbish when the matter was brought to the attention of the general public. Reagan defended her actions as being for the good of her family, a judgment with which her husband readily agreed.<ref name="can-gov-233" /><ref name="nancy-135">Reagan, Nancy (1989), pp. 135–137.</ref> Friends of the family later helped support the cost of the leased house, while Reagan supervised construction of a new [[ranch-style house|ranch-style]] governor's residence in nearby [[Carmichael, California|Carmichael]].<ref name="nyt111904">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/national/19mansion.html | title=Forget the White House, Schwarzenegger Needs Digs Now | author=Charlie LeDuff | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | date=November 19, 2004 | access-date=October 19, 2007 | archive-date=April 18, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140418013036/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/19/national/19mansion.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The new residence was finished just as Ronald Reagan left office in 1975, but his successor, [[Jerry Brown]], refused to live there. It was sold in 1982, and California governors lived in improvised arrangements until Brown moved into the Governor's Mansion in 2015.<ref name="nyt111904" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/17/first-family-moves-into-california-governors-mansion|title=First Family Moves Into California Governor's Mansion|first=Ben|last=Adler|publisher=capradio.org|date=December 17, 2015|access-date=March 12, 2016|archive-date=December 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221042401/http://www.capradio.org/articles/2015/12/17/first-family-moves-into-california-governors-mansion|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1967, Governor Reagan appointed his wife to the [[California Arts Commission]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DEED8163AEF31A25754C1A9679D946691D6CF&legacy=true | title=Reagan Panel Fills Arts Chief's Post After It Ousted Aide | first=Robert | last=Windeler | newspaper=The New York Times | date=November 17, 1967 | access-date=October 18, 2007 | archive-date=May 10, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510121408/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9E0DEED8163AEF31A25754C1A9679D946691D6CF&legacy=true | url-status=live }}</ref> and a year later she was named ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' [[Times Woman of the Year|Woman of the Year]]; in its profile, the ''Times'' labeled her "A Model First Lady".<ref>{{cite news | url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/527764082.html?dids=527764082:527764082&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+13%2C+1968&author=LYNN+LILLISTON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+%281886-Current+File%29&edition=&startpage=F1&desc=TIMES+WOMAN+OF+THE+YEAR | title=A Model First Lady | first=Lynn |last=Lilliston | newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=December 13, 1968 | access-date=October 19, 2007 | archive-date=October 14, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014064147/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/527764082.html?dids=527764082:527764082&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Dec+13%2C+1968&author=LYNN+LILLISTON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(1886-Current+File)&edition=&startpage=F1&desc=TIMES+WOMAN+OF+THE+YEAR | url-status=dead }}</ref> Her glamour, style, and youthfulness,
made her a frequent subject for [[Photojournalism|press photographers]].<ref name="fl-ca">Cook, Lynn and Janet LaDue (2007), pp. 110–111.</ref> As first lady, Reagan visited veterans, the elderly, and the disabled, and worked with a number of charities. She became involved with the [[Foster Grandparents Program]],<ref name="Foster Grandparent's Program" /> helping to popularize it in the United States and Australia.<ref>Anthony, C.S. (2003), p. 135.</ref> She later expanded her work with the organization after arriving in Washington,<ref name="Foster Grandparent's Program">{{cite web |url=http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/nancy-reagan |title=Nancy Reagan |access-date=February 16, 2014 |publisher=Scholastic |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307101347/http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/nancy-reagan |url-status=live }}</ref> and wrote about her experiences in her 1982 book ''To Love a Child''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/bio-nancy-reagan | title=Bio: Nancy Reagan | publisher=[[Fox News Channel]] | first=Samantha|last= Jonas | date=June 5, 2004 | access-date=October 19, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109194657/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63814,00.html | archive-date=November 9, 2007 | url-status=live | df=mdy-all }}</ref> The Reagans held dinners for former [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] and [[Vietnam War]] veterans while governor and first lady.<ref>{{cite book| last = Timberg| first = Robert| title = John McCain: An American Odyssey| year = 1999| publisher = [[Touchstone Books]]| isbn = 978-0-684-86794-6 | title-link = John McCain: An American Odyssey}} pp. 119–121.</ref> Additionally, Reagan was a member of the Junior League of Los Angeles, CA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://thejuniorleagueinternational.org/ |title=The Association of Junior League International |access-date=October 23, 2025 }}</ref>

== Role in 1976 and 1980 presidential campaigns ==
{{Main|1976 United States presidential election|1980 United States presidential election}}
Governor Reagan's gubernatorial time in office ended in 1975, and he did not run for a third term; instead, he met with advisors to discuss a possible bid for the [[1976 United States presidential election|1976]] presidency, challenging incumbent president [[Gerald Ford]]. Ronald still needed to convince a reluctant Nancy before running, however.<ref>Benze, James G. (2005), p. 32.</ref> She feared for her husband's health and his career as a whole, though she felt that he was the right man for the job and approved eventually.<ref name="lpm64">Loizeau, P.M. (2004), p. 64.</ref> Nancy took on a traditional role in the campaign, holding coffees, luncheons, and talks.<ref name="lpm64" /> She also oversaw personnel, monitored her husband's schedule, and occasionally provided press conferences.<ref name="Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33" /> The 1976 campaign included the so-called "battle of the queens", contrasting Nancy with First Lady [[Betty Ford]]. They both spoke out over the course of the campaign on similar issues, but with different approaches.<ref>Loizeau, P.M. (2004), p. 65.</ref> Nancy was upset by the warmonger image that the Ford campaign had drawn of her husband.<ref name="lpm64" />

Though he lost the 1976 Republican nomination, Ronald Reagan ran for the presidency a second time in [[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]. He succeeded in winning the nomination and defeated incumbent rival [[Jimmy Carter]] in a landslide. During this second campaign, Nancy played a prominent role, and her management of staff became more apparent.<ref name="Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33">Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33.</ref> She organized a meeting among feuding campaign managers [[John Sears (political strategist)|John Sears]] and [[Michael Deaver]] and her husband, which resulted in Deaver leaving the campaign and Sears being given full control. After the Reagan camp lost the [[Iowa caucuses|Iowa Caucus]] and fell behind in [[New Hampshire primary|New Hampshire]] polls, Nancy organized a second meeting and decided it was time to fire Sears and his associates; she gave Sears a copy of the press release announcing his dismissal.<ref name="Benze, James G., Jr. (2005), p. 33" /> Her influence on her husband became particularly notable; her presence at rallies, luncheons, and receptions increased his confidence.<ref>Loizeau, P.M. (2004), p. 69.</ref>

== First Lady of the United States (1981–1989) ==
=== White House glamour ===
==== Renovation ====
[[File:President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan waving from the limousine during the Inaugural Parade (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|The new president and his wife wave to the crowd during the Inaugural Parade, January 20, 1981, the same day that 52 Americans held [[Iran hostage crisis|hostage]] by Iran for 444 days were set free]]

Reagan became the first lady of the United States when Ronald Reagan was [[First inauguration of Ronald Reagan|inaugurated as president in January 1981]]. Early in her husband's presidency, Reagan stated her desire to create a more suitable "first home" in the [[White House]], as the building had fallen into a state of disrepair following years of neglect.<ref name="NR American" /> White House aide [[Michael Deaver]] described the second and third-floor family residence as having "cracked plaster walls, chipped paint [and] beaten up floors";<ref name="md78">Deaver, Michael (2004), p. 78.</ref> Rather than use government funds to renovate and redecorate, she sought private donations.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan">{{cite web|url=http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=41|title=First Lady Biography: Nancy Reagan|access-date=June 2, 2007|publisher=National First Ladies Library|archive-date=May 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120509085730/http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=41|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1981, Reagan directed a major renovation of several White House rooms, including all of the second and third floors<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_timelines/timelines_first-ladies-40.html |title=Nancy Reagan |publisher=The White House Historical Association |access-date=January 27, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122104900/http://whitehousehistory.org/whha_timelines/timelines_first-ladies-40.html |archive-date=November 22, 2011 }}</ref> and rooms adjacent to the Oval Office, including the [[James S. Brady Press Briefing Room|press briefing room]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman/123541313/|title=Brady Returns to the press room with wit intact|page=1 |access-date=April 20, 2024|newspaper=The Idaho Statesman|date=November 10, 1981 |archive-date=April 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420215034/https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-idaho-statesman/123541313/|url-status=live}}</ref> The renovation included repainting walls, refinishing floors, repairing fireplaces, and replacing antique pipes, windows, and wires.<ref name="md78" /> The closet in the master bedroom was converted into a beauty parlor and dressing room, and the West bedroom was made into a small gymnasium.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tribute-first-lady-nancy-reagan-201406572.html|title=A Tribute to First Lady Nancy Reagan and All Her Stylish Moments|date=March 6, 2016 |access-date=April 20, 2024|publisher=Yahoo News|archive-date=April 20, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420215506/https://www.yahoo.com/web/20240420215506/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tribute-first-lady-nancy-reagan-201406572.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/11/29/Move-over-Jane-FondaHere-comes-the-Reagan-workout-plan/6380438930000/|title=Move over Jane Fonda:Here comes the Reagan workout plan|access-date=April 20, 2024|publisher=UPI.com}}</ref>
[[File:Official portrait of Nancy Reagan in the Red Room.jpg|thumb|right|Official portrait of the First Lady in the [[Red Room (White House)|Red Room]], 1981]]
The First Lady secured the assistance of renowned interior designer Ted Graber, popular with affluent West Coast social figures, to redecorate the family living quarters.<ref name="graber">{{cite news|title=Ted Graber, 80, Decorator for Reagans, Dies|access-date=July 21, 2009|date=June 12, 2000|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Nemy|first=Enid|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/12/us/ted-graber-80-decorator-for-reagans-dies.html|archive-date=March 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318092122/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/12/us/ted-graber-80-decorator-for-reagans-dies.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A Chinese-pattern, handpainted wallpaper was added to the master bedroom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tysto.com/floor2/master-bedroom.htm|title=Master Bedroom|access-date=February 1, 2008|publisher=The White House Museum|archive-date=July 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170716025834/http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/master-bedroom.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Family furniture was placed in the president's private study.<ref name="graber" /> The first lady and her designer retrieved several White House antiques, which had been in storage, and placed them throughout the mansion.<ref name="graber" /> In addition, many of Reagan's collectibles were put out for display, including around twenty-five [[Limoges Box]]es, as well as some porcelain eggs and a collection of plates.<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 134–135.</ref>

The extensive redecoration was paid for by private donations.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /><ref name="graber" /> Many significant and long-lasting changes occurred as a result of the renovation and refurbishment, of which Reagan said, "This house belongs to all Americans, and I want it to be something of which they can be proud."<ref name="graber" /> The renovations received some criticisms for being funded by tax-deductible donations, meaning some of it eventually did indirectly come from the tax-paying public.<ref>Loizeau, P.M. (2005), [https://books.google.com/books?id=j_mlxi6J6xkC&pg=PA93 p. 93]</ref>

==== Fashion ====
Reagan's interest in fashion was another one of her trademarks. While her husband was still [[President-elect of the United States|president-elect]], press reports speculated about Reagan's social life and interest in fashion.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2GFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976,3582744|title=Nancy Reagan To Run The White House In Grand Style, Social Pundits Say|date=November 13, 1980|agency=Associated Press|newspaper=St. Petersburg Independent|page=5A|access-date=November 13, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107225050/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2GFQAAAAIBAJ&pg=6976%2C3582744|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="stylenyt">{{cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1980/11/09/111811929.pdf|title=Word From Friends: A New White House Style Is on the Way|date=November 9, 1980|author=Nemy, Enid|newspaper=The New York Times|page=80}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XlANAAAAIBAJ&dq=nancy%20reagan%20fashion&pg=5805%2C4581550|title=Fashion Designers Look Ahead to '81|date=December 23, 1980|author=Proven, Grace|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=18}}{{Dead link|date=December 2021 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In many press accounts, Reagan's sense of style was favorably compared to that of a previous first lady, [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis|Jacqueline Kennedy]].<ref name="burns-148">Burns, Lisa (2008), p. 148.</ref> Friends and those close to her remarked that, while fashionable like Kennedy, she would be different from other first ladies; close friend Harriet Deutsch was quoted as saying, "Nancy has her own imprint."<ref name="stylenyt" />

White House photographer [[Mary Anne Fackelman-Miner]], who was assigned to Reagan, said of her, "She always photographed so easily and was at ease in front of the cameras."<ref name="tate">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ldKMDwAAQBAJ |title=Lady in Red: An Intimate Portrait of Nancy Reagan |last=Tate |first=Sheila |year=2019 |publisher=Crown Publishing Group |isbn=9781524762209 |page=213 |language=en}}</ref>

Reagan's wardrobe consisted of dresses, gowns, and suits made by luxury designers, including [[James Galanos]], [[Bill Blass]], and [[Oscar de la Renta]]. Her white, hand-beaded, one shoulder Galanos 1981 inaugural gown was estimated to cost $10,000,<ref name="Nancy's Closet" /> while the overall price of her inaugural wardrobe was said to cost $25,000.<ref name="spbt">{{cite news|author=Bennetts, Leslie|title=Nancy Reagan's inaugural wardrobe gives notice of new White House opulence|date=January 25, 1981|newspaper=St. Petersburg Times}}</ref> She favored the color red, calling it "a picker-upper", and wore it accordingly.<ref name="Nancy's Closet" /> Her wardrobe included red so often that the fire-engine shade became known as "Reagan red".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/03/nancy-reagan-white-house-style |title=ow Nancy Reagan Returned Unapologetic Glamour to the White House |access-date=August 13, 2019 |magazine=Vanity Fair |date=March 7, 2016 |author=Keogh, Pamela |archive-date=August 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809223314/https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/03/nancy-reagan-white-house-style |url-status=live }}</ref> She employed two private hairdressers, who would style her hair on a regular basis in the White House.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE0D81338F930A1575BC0A960948260|title=Washington Talk: Briefing; A Do Ado|author1=King, Wayne |author2=Warren Weaver Jr. |name-list-style=amp |date=August 23, 1986|access-date=June 18, 2008 | work=The New York Times}}</ref>

[[File:Nancy Reagan in the Red Room during a photo session with Vogue Magazine.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Reagan models for ''[[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]]'' in the [[Red Room (White House)|Red Room]], 1981]]

Fashion designers were pleased with the emphasis Reagan placed on clothing.<ref name="spbt" /> [[Adolfo (designer)|Adolfo]] said the first lady embodied an "elegant, affluent, well-bred, chic American look",<ref name="spbt" /> while Bill Blass commented, "I don't think there's been anyone in the White House since Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who has her flair."<ref name="spbt" /> William Fine, president of cosmetic company Frances Denney, noted that she "stays in style, but she doesn't become trendy."<ref name="spbt" />

Though her elegant fashions and wardrobe were hailed as a "glamorous paragon of chic",<ref name="spbt" /> they were also controversial subjects. In 1982, she revealed that she had accepted thousands of dollars in clothing, jewelry, and other gifts, but defended her actions by stating that she had borrowed the clothes and that they would either be returned or donated to museums,<ref name="Nancy's Closet" /><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/16/us/for-mrs-reagan-gifts-mean-high-fashion-at-no-cost.html | title=For Mrs. Reagan, Gifts Mean High Fashion At No Cost | publisher=Associated Press for [[The New York Times]] | date=January 16, 1982 | format=fee required | access-date=February 1, 2008 | archive-date=March 17, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317093222/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/01/16/us/for-mrs-reagan-gifts-mean-high-fashion-at-no-cost.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and that she was promoting the American fashion industry.<ref name="nyt021782" /> Facing criticism, she soon said she would no longer accept such loans.<ref name="nyt021782">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/17/us/nancy-reagan-gives-up-dress-designer-loans.html | title=Nancy Reagan Gives Up Dress Designer Loans | first=Hedrick | last=Smith | work=The New York Times | date=February 17, 1982 | format=fee required | access-date=February 1, 2008 | author-link=Hedrick Smith | archive-date=March 17, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317093134/https://www.nytimes.com/1982/02/17/us/nancy-reagan-gives-up-dress-designer-loans.html | url-status=live }}</ref> While often buying her clothes, she continued to borrow and sometimes keep designer clothes throughout her time as first lady, which came to light in 1988.<ref name="time102488">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968774-1,00.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022184824/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968774-1,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 22, 2012 | title=Why Mrs. Reagan Still Looks Like a Million | first=Ed | last=Magnuson | magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=October 24, 1988 | access-date=February 1, 2008 }}</ref> None of this had been included on financial disclosure forms;<ref name="time102488" /> the non-reporting of loans under $10,000 in liability was in violation of a voluntary agreement the White House had made in 1982, while not reporting more valuable loans or clothes not returned was a possible violation of the [[Ethics in Government Act]].<ref name="time102488" /><ref name="wapo120589">{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1226713.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104103013/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1226713.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 4, 2012 | title=IRS Looking into Gifts to Reagans; Borrowed Designer Dresses Subject of Tax Inquiry | author=Kurtz, Howard | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=December 5, 1989 | access-date=February 2, 2008 | format=fee required }}</ref><ref name="nyt101888" /> Reagan expressed through her press secretary "regrets that she failed to heed counsel's advice" on disclosing them.<ref name="nyt101888">{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE4DA1E3AF93BA25753C1A96E948260 | title= First Lady Expresses 'Regrets' on Wardrobe | first=Steven V. |last=Roberts | work=The New York Times | date=October 18, 1988 | access-date=February 1, 2008 |author-link=Steven V. Roberts}}</ref>

Despite the controversy, many designers who allowed her to borrow clothing, noted that the arrangement was good for their businesses,<ref name="time102488" /> as well as for the American fashion industry overall.<ref name="bg101988">{{cite news | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8084313.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104103019/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8084313.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 4, 2012 | title=Nancy Reagan's Dress Blues: Borrowing Clothes From Top Designers May Be Chic, But Is It Proper? | first=John | last=Robinson | work=[[Boston Globe]] | date=October 19, 1988 | access-date=February 7, 2008 | format=fee required }}</ref> In 1989, Reagan was honored at the annual gala awards dinner of the [[Council of Fashion Designers of America]], during which she received the council's lifetime achievement award.<ref name="honorednyt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/10/style/fashion-amid-the-rustle-of-finery-fashion-celebrates-its-own.html|title=Fashion; Amid the Rustle of Finery, Fashion Celebrates Its Own|author=Hochswender, Woody|date=January 10, 1989|access-date=July 22, 2009|work=The New York Times|archive-date=December 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220232234/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/10/style/fashion-amid-the-rustle-of-finery-fashion-celebrates-its-own.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Barbara Walters]] said of her, "She has served every day for eight long years the word 'style.'"<ref name="honorednyt" />

==== Extravagance ====
Approximately a year into her husband's first term, Nancy explored the idea of ordering new [[White House china|state china service]] for the White House.<ref name="apchina">{{cite news|author=Santini, Maureen|title=Nancy Reagan's White House china: $209,508|date=September 12, 1981|agency=Associated Press, published in The St. Petersburg Times}}</ref> A full china service had not been purchased since the [[Presidency of Harry S. Truman|Truman administration]] in the 1940s, as only a partial service was ordered in the [[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]] administration.<ref name="apchina" /> She was quoted as saying, "The White House really badly, badly needs china."<ref name="apchina" /> Working with [[Lenox (company)|Lenox]], the primary porcelain manufacturer in America, the first lady chose a design scheme of a red with etched gold band, bordering the scarlet and cream colored ivory plates with a raised presidential seal etched in gold in the center.<ref name="apchina" /> The full service comprised 4,370 pieces, with 19 pieces per individual set.<ref name="apchina" /> The service totaled $209,508.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.lenox.com/index.cfm?ss=services&cat=about&lp=whitehouse|title= Lenox: White House|access-date= June 2, 2007|publisher= Lenox, Inc|url-status= dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090111183137/http://www.lenox.com/index.cfm?ss=services&cat=about&lp=whitehouse|archive-date= January 11, 2009|df= mdy-all}}</ref> Although it was paid for by private donations, some from the private [[Joseph P. Knapp|J. P. Knapp Foundation]], the purchase generated quite a controversy, for it was ordered at a time when the nation was undergoing an [[Early 1980s recession|economic recession]].<ref>Klapthor, Margaret Brown (1999), p. 184,</ref> Furthermore, news of the china purchase emerged at the same time that her husband's administration had proposed school lunch regulations that would allow [[ketchup as a vegetable|ketchup to be counted as a vegetable]].<ref name="time-2016"/>
[[File:Reagans with Jackie Kennedy.jpg|thumb|right|President Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan and former first lady [[Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis]] at a fundraiser for the [[Kennedy Presidential Library]], 1985]]

The new china set, White House renovations, expensive clothing, and her attendance at the [[Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer|wedding of Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/background/wedding1.htm|title=Britain Celebrates, Charles Takes a Bride|access-date=November 16, 2007|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 30, 1981|author=Downie, Leonard Jr.|archive-date=November 11, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111035259/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/longterm/diana/background/wedding1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> gave her an aura of being "out of touch" with the American people during the recession.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> This built upon the reputation she had coming to Washington, wherein many people concluded that Reagan was a vain and shallow woman,<ref name="time-2016">{{cite news | title=Remembering Nancy Reagan: The End of a White House Love Story | magazine=Time | date=March 6, 2016 | first=Nancy | last=Gibbs | url=https://time.com/4248899/nancy-reagan-death-obituary/ | access-date=April 15, 2016 | archive-date=April 13, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413234655/http://time.com/4248899/nancy-reagan-death-obituary/ | url-status=live }}{{subscription required}}</ref> and her taste for splendor inspired the derogatory nickname "Queen Nancy".<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> While Jacqueline Kennedy had also faced some press criticism for her spending habits, Reagan's treatment was much more consistent and negative.<ref name="burns-148" /> In an attempt to deflect the criticism, she self-deprecatingly donned a [[baglady]] costume at the [[Gridiron Club|1982 Gridiron Dinner]] and sang "Second-Hand Clothes", mimicking the song "Second-Hand Rose".<ref name="Husband's Past will shape Nancy Reagan's future">{{cite news|url= https://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-06-13-nancy-reagan_x.htm|title= Husband's Past will shape Nancy Reagan|access-date= March 8, 2007|work= USA Today|date= June 13, 2004|author= Page, Susan|archive-date= January 9, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070109060946/http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-06-13-nancy-reagan_x.htm|url-status= live}}</ref> The skit helped to restore her reputation.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-aug-19-me-deaver19-story.html|page=5|title=Michael K. Deaver: 1938–2007&nbsp;– Image guru set the stage for Reagan|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=July 29, 2009|date=August 19, 2007|author1=Neuman, Johanna|author2=David Willman|name-list-style=amp|archive-date=June 29, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629170627/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/aug/19/local/me-deaver19?pg=4|url-status=live}}</ref>

Reagan reflected on the criticisms in her 1989 autobiography, ''[[My Turn (memoir)|My Turn]]''. She described lunching with former [[Democratic National Committee]] chairman [[Robert S. Strauss]], wherein Strauss said to her, "When you first came to town, Nancy, I didn't like you at all. But after I got to know you, I changed my mind and said, 'She's some broad!'" Reagan responded, "Bob, based on the press reports I read then, I wouldn't have liked me either!"<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 56.</ref>

[[File:George HW Bush, Nancy Reagan, Raisa Gorbachova 1987-12-08 C44086-07.jpg|thumb|left|Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]], Reagan, and [[Raisa Gorbacheva]] (spouse of [[Mikhail Gorbachev]]) in Washington, D.C., 1987]]
After the presidency of [[Jimmy Carter]] (who dramatically reduced the formality of presidential functions), Reagan brought a [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]]-esque glamour back into the White House.<ref name="Nancy's Closet">{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=West|title=Nancy's Closet|url=http://www.wmagazine.com/society/2007/10/nancy_reagan|magazine=[[W (magazine)|W]]|access-date=May 15, 2009|date=October 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925011727/http://www.wmagazine.com/society/2007/10/nancy_reagan|archive-date=September 25, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2009/01/18/features/ig-michelle18|author=Moore, Boothe|access-date=February 5, 2009|date=January 18, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Can she stay 'everywoman'?|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629170627/http://articles.latimes.com/2009/01/18/features/ig-michelle18|archive-date=June 29, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> She hosted 56 [[state dinner]]s over eight years.<ref name="dinners">{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nancy-reagan-i-still-see-ronnie-in-my-bedroom-1694535.html|title=Nancy Reagan: I still see Ronnie in my bedroom|author=Usborne, David|date=June 2, 2009|access-date=June 3, 2009|work=The Independent|location=London|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061112/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/nancy-reagan-i-still-see-ronnie-in-my-bedroom-1694535.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> She remarked that hosting the dinners is "the easiest thing in the world. You don't have to do anything. Just have a good time and do a little business. And that's the way Washington works."<ref name="dinners" /> The White House residence staff found Reagan demanding to work for during the preparation for the state dinners, with the first lady overseeing every aspect of meal presentations, and sometimes requesting one dessert after another be prepared, before finally settling on one she approved of.<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 110–112.</ref>

In general, the First Lady's desire for everything to appear just right in the White House led the residence staff to consider her not easy to work for, with tirades following what she perceived as mistakes.<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 7, 75, 134, 274.</ref> One staffer later recalled, "I remember hearing her call for her personal maid one day and it scared the dickens out of me—just her tone. I never wanted to be on the wrong side of her."<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 132–133.</ref> She did show loyalty and respect to a number of the staff.<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 133, 167–168.</ref> In particular, she came to the public defense of a maid who was indicted on charges of helping to smuggle ammunition to Paraguay, providing an affidavit to the maid's good character (even though it was politically inopportune to do so at the time of the [[Iran–Contra affair]]); charges were subsequently dropped, and the maid returned to work at the White House.<ref name="upi-maid">{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19861104&id=hwBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6721,3644423&hl=en | title=Charges Against Nancy Reagan's Maid Dropped | first=Paul | last=Grant | agency=[[United Press International]] | newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] | date=November 4, 1986 | page=14A | access-date=May 10, 2015 | archive-date=June 17, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220617140047/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=888&dat=19861104&id=hwBRAAAAIBAJ&pg=6721%2C3644423&hl=en | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), p. 117.</ref>

In 1987, [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] became the first Soviet leader to visit Washington, D.C., since [[Nikita Khrushchev]] made the trip in 1959 at the height of the [[Cold War]]. Nancy was in charge of planning and hosting the important and highly anticipated state dinner, with the goal to impress both the Soviet leader and especially his wife [[Raisa Gorbacheva]].<ref name="sj165">Schifando and Joseph (2007), p. 165.</ref><ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), pp. 112–113.</ref> After the meal, she recruited pianist [[Van Cliburn]] to play a rendition of "[[Moscow Nights]]" for the Soviet delegation, to which Mikhail and Raisa broke out into song.<ref>Schifando and Joseph (2007), pp. 169–172.</ref> Secretary of State [[George P. Shultz]] later commented on the evening, saying "We felt the ice of the Cold War crumbling."<ref>Schifando and Joseph (2007), p. 175.</ref> Reagan concluded, "It was a perfect ending for one of the great evenings of my husband's presidency."<ref>Schifando and Joseph (2007), p. 173.</ref>

=== Just Say No ===
{{Main|Just Say No}}
With the help of her Chief of Staff [[James Rosebush]], the first lady launched the "Just Say No" drug awareness campaign in 1982, which was her primary project and major initiative as first lady.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> Reagan first became aware of the need to educate young people about drugs during a 1980 campaign stop in [[Daytop]] village, New York.<ref name="Just Say No">{{cite web|url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/just_say_no.asp |title= Mrs. Reagan's Crusade |access-date=March 8, 2007 |publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070812171917/http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/just_say_no.asp |archive-date = August 12, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref> She remarked in 1981 that "Understanding what drugs can do to your children, understanding peer pressure and understanding why they turn to drugs is ... the first step in solving the problem."<ref name="Just Say No" /> Her campaign focused on drug education and informing the youth of the danger of drug abuse.<ref name="Just Say No" />

[[File:Nancy Reagan Speaking at a "Just Say No" Rally in Los Angeles California.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Reagan gives a speech at a "[[Just Say No]]" to drugs rally in Los Angeles, 1987]]

In 1982, Reagan was asked by a schoolgirl what to do when offered [[recreational drug use|drugs]]; Reagan responded: "Just say no."<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1989/010489a.htm|title= Remarks at the Nancy Reagan Drug Abuse Center Benefit Dinner in Los Angeles|access-date= October 3, 2007|publisher= Ronald Reagan Foundation|date= January 4, 1989|quote= ...&nbsp;in Oakland where a schoolchild in an audience Nancy was addressing stood up and asked what she and her friends should say when someone offered them drugs. And Nancy said, "Just say no." And within a few months thousands of Just Say No clubs had sprung up in schools around the country.|archive-date= March 5, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160305201900/https://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/speeches/1989/010489a.htm|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>Loizeau, Pierre-Marie. ''Nancy Reagan: The Woman Behind the Man'' (1984). Nova Publishers, pp. 104–105.</ref> The phrase proliferated in the popular culture of the 1980s, and was eventually adopted as the name of club organizations and school anti-drug programs.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> Reagan became actively involved by traveling more than {{convert|250000|mi|km}} throughout the United States and several nations, visiting drug abuse prevention programs and [[drug rehabilitation]] centers. She also appeared on television talk shows, recorded public service announcements, and wrote guest articles.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> She appeared in an episode of the sitcom ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]'' to underscore support for the "Just Say No" campaign, and in a rock music video, "[[Stop the Madness]]" (1985).<ref>{{cite video |people= Brian L. Dyak (Executive Producer), William N. Utz (Executive Producer)|date=December 11, 1985|title= Stop the Madness|medium=Music Video|publisher= E.I.C.|location=Hollywood and The White House, Washington, D.C.|time=3:15}}</ref>

In 1985, Reagan expanded the campaign to an international level by inviting the [[First Lady|First Ladies]] of various nations to the White House for a conference on drug abuse.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> On October 27, 1986, President Reagan signed a drug enforcement bill into law, which granted $1.7&nbsp;billion in funding to fight the perceived crisis and ensured a [[Mandatory sentencing|mandatory minimum penalty]] for [[drug-related crime|drug offenses]].<ref name="PBS Frontline">{{cite web |url= https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/ |title= Thirty Years of America's Drug War |publisher= pbs.org |access-date= April 4, 2007 |archive-date= February 24, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110224054034/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/cron/ |url-status= live }}</ref> Although the bill was criticized, Reagan considered it a personal victory.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> In 1988, she became the first active first lady invited to address the [[United Nations General Assembly]], where she spoke on international drug interdiction and trafficking laws.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" />

[[File:NREAGANDRUG.jpg|thumb|Reagan hosting the first White House Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse, 1985]]

Critics of Reagan's efforts questioned their purpose,<ref name="critics of just say no">{{cite news|url = http://pages.citebite.com/r1q2b3p1s9jcd|title = Just say nonsense&nbsp;– Nancy Reagan's drug education programs|access-date = July 2, 2015|work = Washington Monthly|date = May 1993|page = 3|last = Elliott|first = Jeff|issue = 5|volume = 25|archive-date = July 2, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150702155251/http://pages.citebite.com/r1q2b3p1s9jcd|url-status = live}}</ref> labelled Reagan's approach to promoting drug awareness as simplistic,<ref name="NR American">{{cite news|publisher=PBS|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande03.html|author=Wolf, Julie.|title=The American Experience: Nancy Reagan|access-date=January 22, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080110015229/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande03.html|archive-date=January 10, 2008}}</ref> and argued that the program did not give adequate attention to various social issues associated with increased rates of drug use, including unemployment, poverty, and family dissolution.<ref name="critics of just say no" />

=== Her husband's protector ===
Reagan assumed the role of unofficial "protector" for her husband after the [[Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan|attempted assassination of him]] in 1981.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/his-fierce-protector-nancy/|title=His Fierce Protector: Nancy|first=David|last=Hancock|access-date=November 15, 2007|date=June 5, 2004|publisher=CBS|archive-date=January 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112202511/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/05/national/main621274.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> On March 30 of that year, President Reagan and three others were shot by the attempted assassin 25-year old [[John Hinckley Jr]] as they left the [[Washington Hilton]] hotel. Nancy was alerted and arrived at [[George Washington University Hospital]], where the President was hospitalized. She recalled having seen "emergency rooms before, but I had never seen one like this – with my husband in it."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 5.</ref> She was escorted into a waiting room, and when granted access to see her husband, he quipped to her, "Honey, I forgot to duck", borrowing the defeated boxer [[Jack Dempsey]]'s jest to his wife.<ref name="NoonanPBS">{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/reagan.html|author= Noonan, Peggy|title= Character Above All: Ronald Reagan essay|publisher= PBS|access-date= August 15, 2007|archive-date= October 11, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011120557/http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/reagan.html|url-status= dead}}</ref>

An early example of the first lady's protective nature occurred when Senator [[Strom Thurmond]] entered the president's hospital room that day in March, passing the [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] detail by claiming he was the President's "close friend", presumably to acquire media attention.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://web1.millercenter.org/poh/transcripts/ohp_2002_1024_friedersdorf.pdf|title= Final Edited Transcript: Interview with Max Friedersdorf|access-date= October 20, 2007|date= October 24–25, 2002|publisher= Miller Center of Public Affairs|page= 60|quote= Mrs. Reagan was all upset, of course. He said that Senator [Strom] Thurmond had come over to the hospital and had talked his way in, past the lobby, up to the President's room – he's in intensive care, tubes coming out of his nose and his throat, tubes in his arms and everything – and said that Strom Thurmond had talked his way past the secret service into his room and Mrs. Reagan was outraged, distraught. She couldn't believe her eyes. He said, 'You know, those guys are crazy. They come over here trying to get a picture in front of the hospital and trying to talk to the President when he may be on his deathbed.|archive-date= February 5, 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160205191955/http://web1.millercenter.org/poh/transcripts/ohp_2002_1024_friedersdorf.pdf|url-status= live}}</ref> Nancy was outraged and demanded that he leave.<ref name="Beschloss, Michael p. 284" /> While the President recuperated in the hospital, the first lady slept with one of his shirts to be comforted by the scent.<ref name="Beschloss, Michael p. 284" /> When Ronald Reagan was released from the hospital on April 12, she escorted him back to the White House.

Press accounts [[Framing (social sciences)|framed]] Reagan as her husband's "chief protector", an extension of their general initial framing of her as a helpmate and a Cold War domestic ideal.<ref>Burns, Lisa (2008), pp. 130, 138–139.</ref> As it happened, the day after her husband was shot, she fell off a chair while trying to take down a picture to bring to him in the hospital; she suffered several broken ribs, but was determined to not reveal it publicly.<ref>Brower, Kate Andersen (2015), p. 160.</ref>

=== Astrological consultations ===
[[File:President Ronald Reagan Being Sworn in for a Second Term by Chief Justice Warren Burger as Nancy Reagan Observes during the Private Ceremony at the White House.jpg|thumb|right|"The Gaze": Reagan watches as her husband is sworn in for a second term by Chief Justice [[Warren E. Burger|Warren Burger]], on January 20, 1985]]
During the Reagan administration, Nancy Reagan consulted a San Francisco [[Astrology|astrologer]], [[Joan Quigley]], who provided advice on which days and times would be optimal for the president's safety and success.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /><ref name="Ivins, Molly">{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEEDF1030F93BA25750C0A966958260|title=Stars and Strife|access-date= November 16, 2007|date= March 18, 1990|newspaper=The New York Times|last=Ivins|first= Molly|author-link=Molly Ivins}}</ref> Quigley began her work at the White House after the assassination attempt on President Reagan in 1981. Nancy Reagan was told by Merv Griffin that Quigley had predicted that day would be dangerous for President Reagan, causing her to become a regular astrological consultant for the administration.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 24, 2014 |title=Astrologer who helped guide President Reagan's schedule dies at 87 |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/reagan-familys-trusted-astrologer-dies-87 |access-date=November 22, 2022 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122062944/https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/reagan-familys-trusted-astrologer-dies-87 |url-status=live }}</ref> Quigley previously worked on the Reagan campaign prior to serving as their astrological consultant. She volunteered for their campaign in 1980, as she was impressed by his astrological chart. Private lines were set up in the White House and Camp David to assist in phone calls between Nancy Reagan and Joan Quigley, which occurred multiple times a day, and she was paid $3,000 a month for her work.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Douglas |date=October 14, 2014 |title=Joan Quigley, Astrologer to a First Lady, Is Dead at 87 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/us/joan-quigley-astrologer-to-a-first-lady-is-dead-at-87.html |access-date=November 22, 2022 |website=The New York Times |archive-date=November 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122062930/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/25/us/joan-quigley-astrologer-to-a-first-lady-is-dead-at-87.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[White House Chief of Staff|White House chief of staff]] [[Donald Regan]] grew frustrated with this regimen, which created friction between him and the first lady. This friction escalated with the revelation of the [[Iran–Contra affair]], an administration scandal, in which the first lady felt Regan was damaging the president.{{clarify|date=October 2020}}<ref>Anthony, C.S. (1991), p. 396.</ref> She thought he should resign, and expressed this to her husband, although he did not share her view. Regan wanted President Reagan to address the Iran-Contra matter in early 1987 by means of a press conference, though the first lady refused to allow her husband to overexert himself due to a recent prostate surgery and astrological warnings.<ref>Anthony, C.S. (1991), p. 398.</ref> She became so angry with Regan that he hung up on her during a 1987 telephone conversation. According to the recollections of [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] correspondent [[Sam Donaldson]], when the President heard of this treatment, he demanded—and eventually received—Regan's resignation.<ref>{{cite video | people=Thomas, Rhys (Writer/Producer); Donaldson, Sam (interviewee)|year=2005 | title=The Presidents| medium=Documentary | publisher=A&E Television}}</ref> Vice President [[George H. W. Bush]] is also reported to have suggested to her to have Regan fired.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/kate-andersen-brower-hillary-clinton-owes-nancy-reagan-article-1.2557427|title=What Hillary Clinton owes Nancy Reagan: The late First Lady wielded real influence on her husband's presidency|date=March 9, 2016|work=Daily News|location=New York|access-date=March 9, 2016|archive-date=March 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310071035/http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/kate-andersen-brower-hillary-clinton-owes-nancy-reagan-article-1.2557427|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his 1988 memoir, ''For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington'', Regan wrote the following about Nancy Reagan's consultations with an astrologer:

{{blockquote|Virtually every major move and decision the Reagans made during my time as White House Chief of Staff was cleared in advance with a woman in San Francisco [Quigley] who drew up horoscopes to make certain that the planets were in a favorable alignment for the enterprise.<ref>Donald Regan. ''For the Record: From Wall Street to Washington'', (San Diego: Harcourt Trade Publishers, 1988), {{ISBN|0151639663}}</ref><ref name="peopleast">{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20099022,00.html |title=The President's Astrologers |work=People |last1=Wadler |first1=Joyce |last2=Blessing |first2=Angela |last3=Mathison |first3=Dirk |last4=Bonnett Sellinger |first4=Margie |date=May 23, 1988 |access-date=July 30, 2021 |archive-date=June 2, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602182536/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20099022,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

Donald Regan's memoir went on to cause political discourse, as well as scrutiny of the astrological community, as he exposed the "most closely guarded secret" of the Reagan administration. Although he did not know Quigley's name at the time, he wrote extensively on her role in the White House.<ref name=":0" /> Regan further claimed that Quigley selected the date of the 1985 Geneva Summit. For her part, Quigley stated in 1998 that she had "'absolutely nothing'" to do with arranging the summit and added that others were "'overemphasizing'" her role;<ref name="peopleast"/> however, in 1990, she released a book in which she asserted that she was "in charge" of the President's scheduling during the Reagan administration.<ref name="Ivins, Molly"/>

Reagan acknowledged in her memoirs that she altered the President's schedule without his knowledge based on astrological advice, but argues that "no political decision was ever based [on astrology]".<ref name="times">{{cite news|work=The New York Times|date=November 1, 1989|access-date=June 3, 2008|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE1DC1330F932A35752C1A96F948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2|title=Books of the Times; Nancy Reagan Tells Her Side of the Stories|author=Apple, R. W. Jr}}</ref> She added, "Astrology was simply one of the ways I coped with the fear I felt after my husband almost died ... Was astrology one of the reasons [further attempts did not occur]? I don't ''really'' believe it was, but I don't ''really'' believe it wasn't."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), pp. 44, 47.</ref>

[[File:Reagans talking in Oval Office cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Nancy and Ronald Reagan together in the Oval Office, 1985]]

=== Influence in the White House ===
Nancy Reagan wielded a powerful influence over President Reagan.<ref name="BBC Nancy's image" />
In her memoirs, Reagan stated, "I felt panicky every time [Ronald Reagan] left the White House".<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 21.</ref> Following the assassination attempt, she strictly controlled access to the president;<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /><ref name="BBC Nancy's image" /> occasionally, she even attempted to influence her husband's decision making.<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 62.</ref>

Beginning in 1985, she strongly encouraged her husband to hold "summit" conferences with Soviet general secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], and suggested they form a personal relationship beforehand.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" /> Both Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev had developed a productive relationship through their summit negotiations. The relationship between Nancy Reagan and [[Raisa Gorbacheva]] was anything but the friendly, diplomatic one between their husbands; Reagan found Gorbacheva hard to converse with and their relationship was described as "frosty".<ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 14, 2008|date=December 8, 1988|first=Celestine|last= Bohlen|title= The Gorbachev Visit; Another Obstacle Falls: Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev Get Chummy|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE6DD1039F93BA35751C1A96E948260}}</ref> The two women usually had tea and discussed differences between the USSR and the United States. Visiting the United States for the first time in 1987, Gorbacheva irked Reagan with lectures on subjects ranging from architecture to socialism, reportedly prompting the American president's wife to quip, "Who does that dame think she is?"<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967592-1,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071017045800/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967592-1,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = October 17, 2007 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | author = Chua-Eoan, Howard G. | title = My Wife Is a Very Independent Lady | date = June 6, 1988 | access-date = October 5, 2007 }}</ref>

Press framing of Reagan changed from that of just helpmate and protector to someone with hidden power.<ref name="burns-power">Burns, Lisa (2008), pp. 139–140.</ref> As the image of her as a political interloper grew, she sought to explicitly deny that she was the [[power behind the throne]].<ref name="burns-power" /> At the end of her time as First Lady, however, she said that her husband had not been well-served by his staff.<ref name="burns-power" /><ref name="reut111388" /> She acknowledged her role in reaction in influencing him on personnel decisions, saying "In no way do I apologize for it."<ref name="reut111388">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/13/us/nancy-reagan-criticizes-aides-to-president.html | title=Nancy Reagan Criticizes Aides to President | agency=Reuters | newspaper=The New York Times | date=November 13, 1988 | access-date=May 16, 2009 | archive-date=March 4, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304111049/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/13/us/nancy-reagan-criticizes-aides-to-president.html | url-status=live }}</ref> She wrote in her memoirs, "I don't think I was as bad, or as extreme in my power or my weakness, as I was depicted,"<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. vii.</ref> but went on, "However the first lady fits in, she has a unique and important role to play in looking after her husband. And it's only natural that she'll let him know what she thinks. I always did that for Ronnie, and I always will."<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 65.</ref> Her chief of staff [[James Rosebush]]'s 1988 book ''First Lady, Public Wife'' explored the role of the First Lady as a demanding and rigorous job.

=== Breast cancer ===
In October 1987, a [[Mammography|mammogram]] detected a lesion in Reagan's left breast and she was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer. She chose to undergo a [[mastectomy]] rather than a [[lumpectomy]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9B0DE2DA123DF93BA25753C1A961948260|title=Surgeons Remove Cancerous Breast of Nancy Reagan|access-date=June 23, 2008|work=The New York Times|author=Altman, Lawrence K|date=October 18, 1987}}</ref> and the breast was removed on October 17, 1987. Ten days after the operation, her 99-year-old mother, [[Edith Luckett Davis]], died in [[Phoenix, Arizona]], leading Reagan to dub the period "a terrible month".<ref>Reagan, Nancy (1989), p. 285.</ref>

After the surgery, more women across the country had mammograms, which exemplified the influence that the first lady possessed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001360.htm|title=Perspectives in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Trends in Screening Mammograms for Women 50 Years of Age and Older&nbsp;– Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987|access-date=June 23, 2008|date=March 10, 1989|publisher=Department of Health and Human Services|archive-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171028043749/https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001360.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Later life ==
Though Reagan was a controversial first lady, 56&nbsp;percent of Americans had a favorable opinion of her when her husband left office on January 20, 1989, with 18&nbsp;percent having an unfavorable opinion, and the balance not giving an opinion.<ref name="Nancy Reagan's poll numbers">{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-look-back-at-the-polls/|title=A Look Back At The Polls|access-date=October 14, 2007|publisher=CBS Interactive Inc|date=June 7, 2004|archive-date=October 17, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017030723/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/07/opinion/polls/main621632.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Compared to fellow first ladies when their husbands left office, Reagan's approval was higher than those of [[Rosalynn Carter]], [[Hillary Clinton]], [[Melania Trump]], and [[Jill Biden]].<ref name="CNN-First-Ladies">{{cite web |last1=Enten |first1=Harry |date=January 19, 2021 |title=The Worst Final Popularity Rating Ever for a First Lady Belongs to Melania Trump |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/politics/melania-trump-analysis/index.html |access-date=January 19, 2021 |website=CNN |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209063319/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/19/politics/melania-trump-analysis/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Agiesta|first=Jennifer|url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/15/politics/cnn-poll-biden-presidency/index.html|title=CNN Poll: Biden leaves office with his approval rating matching the lowest of his term|access-date=21 May 2025 |work=[[CNN]]|date=15 January 2025}}</ref> However, she was less popular than [[Barbara Bush]], [[Laura Bush]], and [[Michelle Obama]], and her disapproval rating was double that of Carter's.<ref name="Nancy Reagan's poll numbers" /><ref name="CNN-First-Ladies" />

[[File:Nancy Reagan official White House portrait.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Reagan's official White House portrait by [[Aaron Shikler]] in the [[Vermeil Room]] ]]

Upon leaving the White House, the couple returned to California, where wealthy friends purchased them a home at [[668 St. Cloud Road]] in the wealthy [[East Gate Bel Air, Los Angeles|East Gate Old Bel Air]] neighborhood of [[Bel Air, Los Angeles]],<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-04-vw-1262-story.html | title=The Reagan Re-Entry: After Years in the Capital Fishbowl, the First Couple Hope to Find a Little Calm in a Much Changed L.A. | author=Beyette, Beverly | author2=Betty Cuniberti | newspaper=Los Angeles Times | date=December 4, 1988 | access-date=April 23, 2010 | archive-date=June 29, 2012 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120629170628/http://articles.latimes.com/1988-12-04/news/vw-1262_1_nancy-reagan/8 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stevens |first=Pam |title=Reagan paid back his friends for house they bought for him |publisher=CNN |date=January 21, 2001 |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/reagan.house/index.html |access-date=November 16, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014210750/http://archives.cnn.com/2001/ALLPOLITICS/stories/01/26/reagan.house/index.html |archive-date=October 14, 2007 }}</ref> dividing their time between Bel Air and the [[Rancho del Cielo|Reagan Ranch]] in [[Santa Barbara, California|Santa Barbara]], California. Ronald and Nancy regularly attended the [[Bel Air Church]] as well.<ref name="Agenting for God">{{Cite news| last = Netburn| first = Deborah| title = Agenting for God| newspaper = Los Angeles Times| date = December 24, 2006| url = https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1185261551.html?dids=1185261551:1185261551&FMT=ABS| access-date = November 16, 2007| archive-date = May 25, 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110525084617/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1185261551.html?dids=1185261551:1185261551&FMT=ABS| url-status = dead}}</ref> After leaving Washington, Reagan made numerous public appearances, many on behalf of her husband. She continued to reside at the Bel Air home, where she lived with her husband until he died on June 5, 2004.<ref name="CNNHealth">{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.health/ |title=Ronald Reagan dies at 93 |publisher=CNN |date=June 5, 2004 |access-date=February 7, 2007 |archive-date=March 1, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301014604/http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/05/reagan.health/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Reagan's [[official White House portraits of Nancy and Ronald Reagan|official White House portrait]] was painted by [[Aaron Shikler]] and unveiled at the White House in 1989. It depicts her in a red dress standing against the doors of the [[State Dining Room]].<ref name='WHHA'>{{cite web|title=Official White House Portraits|url=https://www.whitehousehistory.org/press-room/press-backgrounders/official-white-house-portraits|publisher=[[White House Historical Association]]|accessdate=18 February 2025}}</ref>

=== Early post–White House activities ===
In late 1989, the former first lady established the Nancy Reagan Foundation, which aimed to continue to educate people about the dangers of substance abuse.<ref name="Nancy Reagan">{{cite web |url=http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp|title= Nancy Reagan: Her Life and Times|access-date= May 12, 2007|publisher= Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071112053844/http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/nancy_bio.asp |archive-date=November 12, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Foundation teamed with the BEST Foundation For A Drug-Free Tomorrow in 1994, and developed the Nancy Reagan Afterschool Program. She continued to travel around the United States, speaking out against drug and alcohol abuse.

{{quote box|width=25em|align=right|quote=Ronnie's long journey has finally taken him to a distant place where I can no longer reach him.|source=— Nancy Reagan (May 2004)<ref name="BBC Nancy's image" />}}

Her memoirs, ''[[My Turn (memoir)|My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan]]'' (1989), are an account of her life in the White House, commenting openly about her influence within the Reagan administration, and discussing the myths and controversies that surrounded the couple.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |title=My Turn Review |access-date=March 28, 2007 |publisher=A-1 Women's Discount Bookstore |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134706/http://www.a1wdb.com/cgi-bin/women/11521.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref> In 1991, the author [[Kitty Kelley]] wrote an unauthorized and largely uncited biography about Reagan, repeating accounts of a poor relationship with her children, and introducing rumors of alleged sexual relations with singer [[Frank Sinatra]]. A wide range of sources commented that Kelley's largely unsupported claims are most likely false.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-13-kelley-bush-book_x.htm|title=Critical book on Bushes sparks firestorm|date=September 13, 2004|access-date=December 24, 2007|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|last=Kiely|first=Kathy|quote=In 1991, The New York Times published a front-page story on Kelley's biography of Nancy Reagan—and then apologized for repeating some of its salacious charges without attempting to verify them.|archive-date=October 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008025214/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-13-kelley-bush-book_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.slate.com/id/2106746/|title=Kitty Kelley: Colonoscopist to the Stars|author=Crowley, Michael|access-date=June 13, 2009|date=September 15, 2004|work=Slate|archive-date=December 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210065227/http://www.slate.com/id/2106746/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fact-or-fiction-the-incredible-world-of-kitty-kelley-428539.html |archive-date=June 18, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Fact or fiction? The incredible world of Kitty Kelley|author=Usborne, David|work=The Independent|date=December 15, 2006|access-date=June 20, 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3665-2004Sep7.html|title=Media View Kitty Kelley's Bush Book With Caution|author=Kurtz, Howard|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 8, 2004|access-date=June 20, 2009|author-link=Howard Kurtz|archive-date=October 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011041432/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3665-2004Sep7.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1989, the [[IRS]] (Internal Revenue Service) began investigating the Reagans over allegations they owed additional tax on the gifts and loans of high-fashion clothes and jewellery to the first lady during their time in the White House<ref name="nyt120689">{{cite news | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6D9113CF935A35751C1A96F948260 | title= Gifts and Loans to Nancy Reagan Stir I.R.S. Interest in High Fashion | author=Hershey, Robert D. | work=The New York Times | date=December 6, 1989 | access-date=January 28, 2008}}</ref> (recipients benefiting from the display of such items recognize taxable income even if they are returned).<ref name="nyt120689" /> In 1992, the IRS determined the Reagans had failed to include some $3&nbsp;million worth of fashion items between 1983 and 1988 on their tax returns;<ref name="irs">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090710003104/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,974751,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 10, 2009|title=Nancy with the Golden Threads|author=Castro, Janice|date=January 27, 1992|access-date=January 28, 2008|magazine=Time}}</ref> they were billed for a large amount of back taxes and interest, which was subsequently paid.<ref name="irs" />

After President Reagan revealed that he had been diagnosed with [[Alzheimer's disease]] in 1994, she made herself his primary caregiver, and became actively involved with the National Alzheimer's Association and its affiliate, the [[Ronald and Nancy Reagan Research Institute]] in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name="First Lady Nancy Reagan" />

In April 1997, Nancy Reagan joined President [[Bill Clinton]] and former Presidents Ford and Bush in signing the Summit Declaration of Commitment in advocating for participation by private citizens in solving domestic issues within the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/29/us/presidents-call-for-big-citizenship-not-big-government.html?mtrref=topics.nytimes.com|title=Presidents Call for Big Citizenship, Not Big Government|first=James|last=Bennet|date=April 29, 1997|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=December 20, 2017|archive-date=October 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005000743/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/29/us/presidents-call-for-big-citizenship-not-big-government.html?mtrref=topics.nytimes.com|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nancy Reagan was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]], the nation's highest civilian honor, by President [[George W. Bush]] on July 9, 2002.<ref name="President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award">{{cite press release |url= https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020709-8.html |title= President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award |date= July 9, 2002 |via= [[NARA|National Archives]] |work= [[whitehouse.gov]] |access-date= March 21, 2007 |archive-date= July 8, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110708210927/http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/07/20020709-8.html |url-status= live }}</ref> President Reagan received his own Presidential Medal of Freedom in January 1993. Reagan and her husband were jointly awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] on May 16, 2002, at the [[United States Capitol]] building, and were only the third president and first lady to receive it; she accepted the medal on behalf of both of them.<ref name="Congressional Gold Medal History">{{cite web |url= http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |title= Congressional Gold Medal History |access-date= March 8, 2007 |publisher= United States House of Representatives |archive-date= January 5, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070105010516/http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/goldMedal.html |url-status= live }}</ref>

=== Funeral for Ronald Reagan ===
{{Further|Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan}}
[[File:Nancy Reagan says final goodbyes to RR June 11, 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Reagan says her last goodbye to Ronald Reagan following a [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|week-long state funeral]], 2004]]

Ronald Reagan died in their Bel Air home on June 5, 2004.<ref name="CNNHealth" /> During the seven-day [[Death and state funeral of Ronald Reagan|state funeral]], Nancy, accompanied by her children and military escort, led the nation in mourning.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb999b159&templatename=/article/article.html |title=Nancy Reagan |year=2006 |access-date=February 16, 2008 |publisher=Scholastic Library Publishing, Inc. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313110642/http://ap.grolier.com/article?assetid=atb999b159&templatename=%2Farticle%2Farticle.html |archive-date=March 13, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> She kept a strong composure,<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> traveling from her home to the [[Reagan Library]] for a memorial service, then to Washington, D.C., where her husband's body [[Lying in state|lay in state]] for 34 hours prior to a national funeral service in the [[Washington National Cathedral]].<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=The Office of Ronald Reagan|date=June 6, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|title=Outline of Funeral Events in honor of Ronald Wilson Reagan|url=http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com/pressrelease_st5.asp|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080419070229/http://www.ronaldreaganmemorial.com/pressrelease_st5.asp |archive-date = April 19, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> She returned to the library in [[Simi Valley]] for a sunset memorial service and interment, where, overcome with emotion, she lost her composure and cried in public for the first time during the week.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-nation-bids-reagan-farewell/|date=June 12, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|publisher=CBS|title=A Nation bids Reagan Farewell|archive-date=September 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928022957/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/05/national/main621238.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> After receiving the folded flag, she kissed the casket and mouthed "I love you" before leaving.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/story/reagan-laid-to-rest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017054417/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0%2C2933%2C122528%2C00.html |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |title=Reagan Laid to Rest |access-date=March 24, 2007 |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=June 12, 2004 |url-status=live }}</ref> During the week, [[CNN]] journalist [[Wolf Blitzer]] said, "She's a very, very strong woman, even though she looks frail."<ref>{{cite news|date=June 9, 2004|title=Reagan's Casket Arrives in Washington|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/09/se.03.html|format=Transcript|publisher=CNN|access-date=November 2, 2007|archive-date=May 16, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060516135241/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0406/09/se.03.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

She had directed the detailed planning of the funeral,<ref name="Nancy funeral role">{{cite news|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE0DF1330F931A25755C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1|title=The 40th President: The President's Widow; For a Frail Mrs. Reagan, A Week of Great Resolve|date=June 12, 2004|access-date=February 29, 2008|work=The New York Times|author1=Nogourney, Adam |author2=Bernard Wienrob |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> which included scheduling all the major events and asking former president [[George H. W. Bush]], as well as former British prime minister [[Margaret Thatcher]], former Soviet Union leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], and former Canadian prime minister [[Brian Mulroney]] to speak during the National Cathedral Service.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> She paid very close attention to the details, something she had always done in her husband's life. [[Betsy Bloomingdale]], one of Reagan's closest friends, stated, "She looks a little frail. But she is very strong inside. She is. She has the strength. She is doing her last thing for Ronnie. And she is going to get it right."<ref name="Nancy funeral role" /> The funeral marked her first major public appearance since she delivered a speech to the [[1996 Republican National Convention]] on her husband's behalf.<ref name="Nancy funeral role" />

The funeral had a great impact on her public image. Following substantial criticism during her tenure as first lady, she was seen somewhat as a national heroine, praised by many for supporting and caring for her husband while he suffered from Alzheimer's disease.<ref name="BBC Nancy's image">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3794125.stm|title=Nancy Reagan emerges as public icon|work=BBC News|date=June 10, 2004|access-date=November 2, 2007|archive-date=April 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426225520/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3794125.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' opined, "after a decade in the shadows, a different, softer Nancy Reagan emerged."<ref>{{cite news|title=A warm public embrace for the new Nancy|access-date=December 13, 2008|author=Cannon, Angie|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=June 21, 2004|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/reagan/articles/21nancy.htm|archive-date=October 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013155047/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/reagan/articles/21nancy.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Widowhood ===
Following her husband's death, Reagan remained active in politics, particularly relating to [[stem cell]] research. Beginning in 2004, she favored what many consider to be the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party's]] position, and urged President George W. Bush to support federally funded embryonic stem cell research, in the hope that this science could lead to a cure for Alzheimer's disease.<ref>{{cite journal | first = Erika |last=Check | title = Bush pressured as Nancy Reagan pleads for stem-cell research | journal = Nature | year = 2004 | volume = 429 | page = 116| doi = 10.1038/429116a | pmid = 15141173 | issue = 6988| bibcode = 2004Natur.429..116C | doi-access = free }}</ref> Although she failed to change the president's position, she did support his campaign for a second term.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-03-nancy-reagan-bush_x.htm|title=Former first lady Nancy Reagan supports Bush's re-election|access-date=October 17, 2007|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=August 4, 2004|archive-date=October 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013190745/http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-08-03-nancy-reagan-bush_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:President Bush, Laura Bush and Nancy Reagan.jpg|thumb|Reagan dedicates the Air Force One Pavilion at the Reagan Library as President Bush and his wife Laura look on, October 2005]]
In 2005, Reagan was honored at a gala dinner at the [[Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center|Ronald Reagan Building]] in Washington, D.C., where guests included [[Dick Cheney]], [[Harry Reid]], and [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref name="dinner-wapo">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051200490_pf.html|title=Just Say Yes: Nancy Reagan Welcomed Back at Tribute|date=May 12, 2005|access-date=May 17, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|author=Roberts, Roxanne|archive-date=September 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920045348/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/12/AR2005051200490_pf.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2007, she attended the [[Death and state funeral of Gerald Ford|national funeral service for Gerald Ford]] in the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. Reagan hosted [[Republican Party presidential debates and forums, 2008|two 2008 Republican presidential debates]] at the Reagan Presidential Library, the first in May 2007 and the second in January 2008.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 4, 2007|author=Nagourney, Adam|author2=Santora, Marc|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/us/politics/04repubs.html|title='08 Republicans Differ on Defining Party's Future|work=The New York Times|access-date=May 4, 2007|archive-date=December 10, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210154643/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/04/us/politics/04repubs.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/30/romney-mccain-out-of-step-with-conservative-mainstream/|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=January 30, 2008|access-date=February 1, 2008|title=Romney Blasts McCain over Iraq War Charge|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080201084303/http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/30/romney-mccain-out-of-step-with-conservative-mainstream/ |archive-date = February 1, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/one-word-reagan/ | title=One Word: Reagan | author=Phillips, Kate | work=The New York Times | date=January 31, 2008 | access-date=February 9, 2008 | archive-date=September 20, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920044951/https://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/31/one-word-reagan/ | url-status=live }}</ref> On March 25, she formally endorsed Senator [[John McCain]], then the presumptive Republican party nominee for president, but McCain would go on to lose the election to Barack Obama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/25/nancy-reagan-to-endorse-mccain/|title=Nancy Reagan gives McCain seal of approval|agency=Associated Press|publisher=Fox News Channel|date=March 25, 2008|access-date=March 25, 2008|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080330060245/http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/25/nancy-reagan-to-endorse-mccain/ |archive-date = March 30, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Reagan attended the funeral of [[Lady Bird Johnson]] in [[Austin, Texas|Austin]], Texas, on July 14, 2007,<ref name="Reagan Library Debate">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18466314|title=Republicans walk tightrope over war in Iraq|access-date=May 3, 2007|first=Alex|last=Johnson|publisher=NBC News|date=May 4, 2007|archive-date=January 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103045129/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/18466314/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and three days later accepted the highest Polish distinction, the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]], on behalf of Ronald Reagan at the Reagan Library. The Reagan Library opened the temporary exhibit "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style", which displayed over eighty designer dresses belonging to her.<ref>{{cite news|first=Monica|last=Corcoran|title=The Nancy Years|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-nov-11-ig-reaganstyle11-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 8, 2007|access-date=January 20, 2008|archive-date=February 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202010408/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/nov/11/image/ig-Reaganstyle11|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Anna |last=Bakalis |title=Style exhibit chronicles Nancy Reagan's life |url=http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/09/nancy-reagan-a-first-ladys-style-at-reagan-her/ |work=The Ventura County Star |date=November 9, 2007 |access-date=January 20, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090305190145/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/nov/09/nancy-reagan-a-first-ladys-style-at-reagan-her/ |archive-date=March 5, 2009 }}</ref>

[[File:2007 07 15 do 18 kaczynski USA 28.jpg|thumb|left|Reagan accepts the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] from Polish President [[Lech Kaczyński]] on behalf of Ronald Reagan, July 15, 2007]]

Reagan's health and well-being became a prominent concern in 2008. In February, she suffered a fall at her Bel Air home and was taken to [[Saint John's Health Center]] in [[Santa Monica, California]]. Doctors reported that she did not break her hip as feared, and she was released from the hospital two days later.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23241883|title=Nancy Reagan Released From Hospital|date=February 19, 2008|access-date=February 19, 2008|publisher=NBC News|archive-date=December 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219202710/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/23241883/|url-status=live}}</ref> News commentators noted that Reagan's step had slowed significantly, as the following month she walked in very slow strides with John McCain.<ref name="msnbc fall">{{cite video|people=Williams, Brian (interviewee)|date=October 15, 2008|title=Nancy Reagan suffers broken pelvis|url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540|medium=Television production|publisher=NBC News|access-date=December 5, 2008|archive-date=January 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130129090138/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/21134540/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In October 2008, Reagan was admitted to [[Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center]] after falling at home. Doctors determined that the 87-year-old had fractured her [[human pelvis|pelvis]] and [[sacrum]], and could recuperate at home with a regimen of [[physical therapy]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE49G7S420081017 | work=Reuters | title=Former first lady Nancy Reagan out of hospital | first=Dan | last=Whitcomb | date=October 17, 2008 | access-date=May 14, 2009 | archive-date=March 15, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090315170423/http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE49G7S420081017 | url-status=live }}</ref> As a result of her mishap, medical articles were published containing information on how to prevent falls.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126942.php|title=Physical Therapy Will Play Key Role In Nancy Reagan's Recovery From Recent Fall|access-date=December 6, 2008|newspaper=News Today|date=October 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081205201315/http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/126942.php|archive-date=December 5, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> In January 2009, Reagan was said to be "improving every day and starting to get out more and more".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/69715_Nancy_Reagan_Health_Update_She_s_Improving_Every_Day/index.html |title=Nancy Reagan Health Update: 'Shes Improving Every Day' |access-date=January 20, 2009 |date=January 15, 2009 |publisher=Entertainment Tonight |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130604043010/http://www.etonline.com/news/69715_Nancy_Reagan_Health_Update_She_s_Improving_Every_Day/index.html |archive-date=June 4, 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:Nancy Reagan with Michelle Obama cropped.jpg|thumb|upright|Reagan with First Lady [[Michelle Obama]] at a White House luncheon, June 3, 2009]]
In March 2009, she praised President [[Barack Obama]] for reversing the ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.politico.com/story/2009/03/nancy-reagan-praises-obama-019787 | title=Nancy Reagan praises Obama | first=Craig | last=Gordon | publisher=[[Politico]] | date=March 9, 2009 | access-date=May 14, 2009 | archive-date=March 14, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314171154/http://www.politico.com//news//stories//0309//19787.html | url-status=live }}</ref> She traveled to Washington, D.C., in June 2009 to unveil a statue of her late husband in the [[United States Capitol rotunda|Capitol rotunda]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-reagan-statue4-2009jun04,0,2615911.story|title=Reagan returns to Washington, D.C., in bronze|access-date=June 3, 2009|date=June 4, 2009|work=Los Angeles Times|author=Simon, Richard|archive-date=June 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611192050/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-reagan-statue4-2009jun04,0,2615911.story|url-status=live}}</ref> She was also on hand as President Obama signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, and lunched privately with Michelle Obama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/nancy-reagan-and-obama-kiss-and-make-up/?hp|title=Nancy Reagan and Obama Kiss and Make Up|access-date=June 3, 2009|date=June 2, 2009|author=Cooper, Helene|work=The New York Times|archive-date=April 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100323/http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/nancy-reagan-and-obama-kiss-and-make-up/?hp|url-status=live}}</ref> Reagan revealed in an interview with ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' that Michelle Obama had telephoned her for advice on living and entertaining in the White House.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/nancy-reagan-speaks-out-about-obamas-the-bushes-and-her-husband.html |title=Nancy Reagan Speaks Out About Obamas, the Bushes, and Her Husband |access-date=June 3, 2009 |date=June 1, 2009 |magazine=Vanity Fair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090603055749/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/06/nancy-reagan-speaks-out-about-obamas-the-bushes-and-her-husband.html |archive-date=June 3, 2009 }}</ref> Following the death of Senator [[Ted Kennedy]] in August 2009, she said she was "terribly saddened ... Given our political differences, people are sometimes surprised how close Ronnie and I have been to the Kennedy family ... I will miss him."<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://thepage.time.com/nancy-reagan-statement-on-ted-kennedys-death/|title=Nancy Reagan Statement on Ted Kennedy's Death|date=August 26, 2009|access-date=March 23, 2010|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}{{Dead link|date=September 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> She attended the funeral of [[Betty Ford]] in [[Rancho Mirage, California]], on July 12, 2011.<ref>{{cite news | date = July 14, 2011 | title = After Funeral Service, Betty Ford Buried Next to Husband | publisher = [[NBC News]] | url = https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna43755302 | access-date = December 20, 2013 | archive-date = July 30, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200730200139/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43755302 | url-status = live }}</ref>

Reagan hosted a [[2012 Republican Party presidential debates and forums|2012 Republican presidential debate]] at the Reagan Presidential Library on September 7, 2011.<ref name=endorse>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan endorses Romney's bid for president|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-31/nancy-reagan-mitt-romney/55319818/1|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=May 31, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=November 16, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116171152/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-31/nancy-reagan-mitt-romney/55319818/1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan presidential library|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-debate-at-the-ronald-reagan-presidential-library/2011/09/07/gIQAmBJQAK_gallery.html#photo=1|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=September 7, 2011|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=January 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106032728/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-debate-at-the-ronald-reagan-presidential-library/2011/09/07/gIQAmBJQAK_gallery.html#photo=1|url-status=live}}</ref> She suffered a fall in March 2012.<ref name=fall /> Two months later, she endured several broken ribs, which prevented her from attending a speech given by [[Paul Ryan]] in the Reagan Presidential Library in May 2012.<ref name=fall>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan still recovering from fall|url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/politics/nancy-reagan-fall/|publisher=CNN|date=May 23, 2012|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=January 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170115213711/http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/23/politics/nancy-reagan-fall|url-status=live}}</ref> She endorsed Republican presidential candidate [[Mitt Romney]] on May 31, 2012, explaining that her husband would have liked Romney's business background and what she called "strong principles".<ref name=endorse /> Following [[Death and funeral of Margaret Thatcher|the death]] of former British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]] in April 2013, she stated, "The world has lost a true champion of freedom and democracy ... Ronnie and I knew her as a dear and trusted friend, and I will miss her."<ref>{{cite news|title=Nancy Reagan: 'Ronnie and Margaret were political soul mates'|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/nancy-reagan-ronnie-and-margaret-were-political-soul-mates/|publisher=CNN|date=April 8, 2013|access-date=December 20, 2013|archive-date=May 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503014936/http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/08/nancy-reagan-ronnie-and-margaret-were-political-soul-mates/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

After her death, her son, [[Michael Reagan]], said that he had no doubts that if his mother were alive, she would have voted for [[Hillary Clinton]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vales |first=Leinz |date=October 6, 2016 |title=Michael Reagan: Nancy would vote for Clinton {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/10/06/politics/michael-reagan-donald-trump-election-2016-don-lemon/index.html |access-date=August 10, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref>

== Death and funeral ==
On March 6, 2016, Nancy Reagan died of [[congestive heart failure]] at her home in Los Angeles at the age of 94.<ref name="Fieldstadt">{{cite news|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nancy-reagan-dead-94-n532871|title=Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Dead at 94|last1=Fieldstadt|first1=Elisha|last2=Gittens|first2=Hasani|publisher=[[NBC News]]|date=March 6, 2016|access-date=March 6, 2016|archive-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306200649/http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/nancy-reagan-dead-94-n532871|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cannon">{{cite news|last=Cannon|first=Lou|date=March 6, 2016|title=Nancy Reagan, a Stylish and Influential First Lady, Dies at 94|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/nancy-reagan-a-stylish-and-influential-first-lady-dies-at-94.html|access-date=March 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827000912/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/us/nancy-reagan-a-stylish-and-influential-first-lady-dies-at-94.html|archive-date=August 27, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Dunham">{{cite news| url= https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-reagan-idUSKCN0W80S4| title= Former First Lady Nancy Reagan dies at 94| last= Dunham| first= Will| date= March 6, 2016| work= [[Reuters]]| access-date= March 6, 2016| location= Washington D.C.| archive-date= March 6, 2016| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160306170933/http://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-reagan-idUSKCN0W80S4| url-status= live}}</ref> On March 7, President [[Barack Obama]] issued a [[presidential proclamation]] ordering the US flag to be flown at [[half-mast#United States|half-staff]] until sunset on the day of Reagan's interment.<ref name="halfstaff">{{cite press release|title=Presidential Proclamation – Nancy Reagan|publisher=[[The White House]] [[White House Office of the Press Secretary|Office of the Press Secretary]]|date=March 7, 2016|url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/07/presidential-proclamation-nancy-reagan|access-date=March 7, 2016|archive-date=February 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201213220/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/07/presidential-proclamation-nancy-reagan|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?406302-1/funeral-service-nancy-reagan Nancy Reagan funeral service, March 11, 2016], [[C-SPAN]]}}
Her funeral was held on March 11 at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]] in [[Simi Valley, California]].<ref name="nyt-funeral">{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/us/politics/nancy-reagan-funeral.html | title=At Nancy Reagan's Funeral, Honoring the Queen of a Republican Camelot | first=Alessandra | last=Stanley | newspaper=The New York Times | date=March 11, 2016 | access-date=May 21, 2016 | archive-date=June 15, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160615211216/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/12/us/politics/nancy-reagan-funeral.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgnocfYKrH8 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211114/xgnocfYKrH8| archive-date=November 14, 2021 | url-status=live|medium=News |date=March 9, 2016 |title=Casket Carrying Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Arrives at Reagan Library |work=[[Inside Edition]] |access-date=August 16, 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Representatives from ten first families attended, including former president [[George W. Bush]], then-first lady [[Michelle Obama]], former first ladies [[Laura Bush]] and [[Rosalynn Carter]], and then-2016 presidential candidate former U.S. secretary of state [[Hillary Clinton]], herself a former first lady. Presidential children [[Steven Ford]], [[Tricia Nixon Cox]], [[Luci Baines Johnson]], and [[Caroline Kennedy]] were also in attendance, as was presidential grandchild [[Anne Eisenhower|Anne Eisenhower Flottl]].<ref name="vf-funeral">{{cite news | url=http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/03/nancy-reagan-funeral#15 | title=Nancy Reagan's Funeral: 'God Bless America,' White Roses, and a Red Adolfo Suit | first=Bob | last=Colacello | magazine=Vanity Fair | date=March 17, 2016 | access-date=May 21, 2016 | archive-date=May 29, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529014037/http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/03/nancy-reagan-funeral#15 | url-status=live }}</ref>

Other attendees included California governor [[Jerry Brown]], former governors [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] and [[Pete Wilson]], former House speakers [[Nancy Pelosi]] and [[Newt Gingrich]], and former members of the Reagan administration, including [[George P. Shultz]] and [[Edwin Meese]]. There were also many attendees from the Hollywood entertainment industry, including [[Mr. T]], [[Maria Shriver]] (Schwarzenegger's then-wife), [[Wayne Newton]], [[Johnny Mathis]], [[Anjelica Huston]], [[John Stamos]], [[Tom Selleck]], [[Bo Derek]], and [[Melissa Rivers]]. In all there were some 1,000 guests.<ref name="vf-funeral"/>

Eulogies were given by former [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister of Canada]] [[Brian Mulroney]], former secretary of state [[James Baker]], [[Diane Sawyer]], [[Tom Brokaw]], and Reagan's children [[Patti Davis]] and [[Ron Reagan]]. After the funeral, Reagan was interred next to her husband.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://6abc.com/news/nancy-reagan-laid-to-rest-beside-her-late-husband/1241887/|title=Nancy Reagan Laid to Rest Beside Her Late Husband|first=Meghan|last=Keneally|work=6abc Philadelphia|access-date=March 12, 2016|date=March 12, 2016|archive-date=March 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313080445/http://6abc.com/news/nancy-reagan-laid-to-rest-beside-her-late-husband/1241887/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdio.com/news/nancy-reagan-funeral-underway/4071767/|title=WDIO.com&nbsp;– Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Laid to Rest|publisher=WDIO.com|access-date=March 12, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312132120/http://www.wdio.com/news/nancy-reagan-funeral-underway/4071767/|archive-date=March 12, 2016}}</ref>

== Historical assessments ==
Since 1982, [[Siena College Research Institute]] has conducted occasional surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies according to a cumulative score on the independent criteria of their background, value to the country, [[intelligence]], [[courage]], accomplishments, [[integrity]], [[leadership]], being their own women, public image, and value to the president.<ref name="Siena2014">{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt Retains Top Spot as America's Best First Lady Michelle Obama Enters Study as 5th, Hillary Clinton Drops to 6th Clinton Seen First Lady Most as Presidential Material; Laura Bush, Pat Nixon, Mamie Eisenhower, Bess Truman Could Have Done More in Office Eleanor & FDR Top Power Couple; Mary Drags Lincolns Down in the Ratings |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=February 15, 2014 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327181939/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FirstLadies2014Release_Final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In terms of cumulative assessment Reagan has been ranked:
* 39th-best of 42 in 1982<ref name="2008Siena">{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 5 th to 4 th; Jackie Kennedy from 4th to 3rd Mary Todd Lincoln Remains in 36th |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=May 16, 2022 |date=December 18, 2008 |archive-date=December 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211222164606/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/FL_2008Release.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
* 36th-best of 37 in 1993<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 28th-best of 38 in 2003<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 15th-best of 38 in 2008<ref name="2008Siena"/>
* 15th-best of 39 in 2014<ref name="Siena2014"/>
* 15th-best of 40 in 2020<ref name="Siena2020results">{{cite web |title=Copy of FirstLadies_Full Rankings_working_dl_2.xls |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/First-Ladies-Full-Rankings-2020.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Siena Research Institute |access-date=March 11, 2025 |date=2020}}</ref>

In the 1993 Sienna Research Institute survey, the first conducted after Reagan left the White House, Reagan was assessed very poorly by historians, ranking the second-worst, with only [[Mary Todd Lincoln]] being given a worse assessment.<ref name="2008Siena"/> Reagan was ranked the lowest in half of the criteria (background, value to the country, intelligence, courage, and integrity).<ref>{{cite web |title=Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton Top First Lady Poll |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Sienna College |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=January 10, 1994 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108043708/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Press-Release-1.10.94.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Regard for Reagan improved in the following three iterations of the survey.<ref name="2008Siena"/> In the three most recent iterations of the survey (conducted in 2008, 2014, and 2020), Reagan has been ranked as the 15th-best First Lady.<ref name="2008Siena"/><ref name="Siena2020results"/> In the 2008 Siena Research Institute survey, Reagan was ranked the 4th-highest in value to the president, but was ranked the lowest in integrity.<ref name="2008Siena"/> In the 2003 survey, Reagan ranked the 5th-highest in value to the president.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ranking America's First Ladies Eleanor Roosevelt Still #1 Abigail Adams Regains 2nd Place Hillary moves from 2nd to 5th; Jackie Kennedy from 7th to 4th Mary Todd Lincoln Up From Usual Last Place |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu |publisher=Sienna College Research Center |access-date=October 23, 2022 |date=September 29, 2003 |archive-date=December 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221208161720/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/ranking20americas20first20ladies.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2014 survey, Reagan and her husband were ranked the 16th-highest out of 39 first couples in terms of being a "power couple".<ref>{{cite web |title=2014 Power Couple Score |url=https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |website=scri.siena.edu/ |publisher=Siena Research Institute/C-SPAN Study of the First Ladies of the United States |access-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327132048/https://scri.siena.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Appendix_C_Power_Couples.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 2014 survey, historians ranked Reagan among 20th and 21st century American first ladies as being the 5th greatest in terms of being a "political asset" and 5th greatest in terms of being a strong public communicator.<ref name="Siena2014"/>

Reagan and her husband have each posthumously experienced continued criticism for having, during their time in the White House, spent years publicly ignoring the [[HIV/AIDS]] epidemic, which [[Ronald Reagan and AIDS|began during her husband's presidency]]. The epidemic had initially predominantly impacted the male [[homosexual]] community. Reagan's great extended public silence on this matter has been contrasted with her coinciding vocalness against drug use. Reagan's extended failure to give significant public acknowledgement of this epidemic has been seen as one of the greatest detractions in her retrospective public regard.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zak |first1=Dan |title=On drugs, Nancy Reagan just said no. On AIDS, she said nothing. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/on-drugs-nancy-reagan-just-said-no-on-aids-she-said-nothing/2016/03/11/3f9d59e8-e483-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=October 9, 2022 |date=March 13, 2016 |archive-date=August 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810183555/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/on-drugs-nancy-reagan-just-said-no-on-aids-she-said-nothing/2016/03/11/3f9d59e8-e483-11e5-a6f3-21ccdbc5f74e_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=L. La Ganga |first1=Maria |title=The first lady who looked away: Nancy and the Reagans' troubling Aids legacy |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/11/nancy-ronald-reagan-aids-crisis-first-lady-legacy |website=The Guardian |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=March 11, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Wynne |title=Here's why the new Nancy Reagan stamp prompted backlash from the LGBTQ+ community |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103575533/nancy-reagan-stamp-hiv-aids-pride-backlash-lgbtq |website=NPR |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=June 9, 2022 |archive-date=June 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609133451/https://www.npr.org/2022/06/09/1103575533/nancy-reagan-stamp-hiv-aids-pride-backlash-lgbtq |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Mosendz |first1=Polly |title=Former First Lady Nancy Reagan Watched Thousands of LGBTQ People Die of AIDS |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nancy-reagan-death-hiv-aids-legacy |website=Teen Vogue |access-date=October 9, 2022 |date=March 9, 2016 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009202328/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nancy-reagan-death-hiv-aids-legacy |url-status=live }}</ref> However, there has been reporting to suggest that, privately, Reagan did unsuccessfully urge her husband's administration to address the epidemic.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tumulty |first1=Karen |title=Nancy Reagan's Real Role in the AIDS Crisis |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/04/full-story-nancy-reagan-and-aids-crisis/618552/ |website=The Atlantic |access-date=October 9, 2022 |language=en |date=April 12, 2021 |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009202323/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/04/full-story-nancy-reagan-and-aids-crisis/618552/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Awards and honors ==
[[File:Nancy Reagan honorary degree 2009.jpg|thumb|right| Reagan receiving an honorary degree from Eureka College, 2009]]
As noted earlier, Nancy Reagan was awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] in 2002<ref name="President Bush Honors Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award"/> and the [[Congressional Gold Medal]], in the same year.<ref name="Congressional Gold Medal History"/>
In 1989, she received the [[Council of Fashion Designers of America]]'s lifetime achievement award.<ref name="honorednyt"/>

As First Lady, Nancy Reagan received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from [[Pepperdine University]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/02/us/gets-honorary-degree-nancy-reagan-after-receiving-law-degree-yesterday.html | title=Gets Honorary Degree | agency=Associated Press | newspaper=The New York Times | date=May 2, 1983 | access-date=September 5, 2017 | archive-date=August 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812173507/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/02/us/gets-honorary-degree-nancy-reagan-after-receiving-law-degree-yesterday.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
Later, she received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from [[Eureka College]] in Illinois, her husband's alma mater, in 2009.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://chronicleillinois.com/news/local-news/eureka-college-awards-nancy-reagan-honorary-doctorate/ | title=Eureka College Awards Nancy Reagan Honorary Doctorate | publisher=Chronicle Media | date=April 8, 2009 | access-date=August 12, 2017 | archive-date=August 12, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812210834/http://chronicleillinois.com/news/local-news/eureka-college-awards-nancy-reagan-honorary-doctorate/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

== Filmography ==
{{Div col}}
* ''The Crippler '' (1940) (Short)
* ''[[Portrait of Jennie]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Doctor and the Girl]]'' (1949)
* ''[[East Side, West Side (1949 film)|East Side, West Side]]'' (1949)
* ''[[Shadow on the Wall (1950 film)|Shadow on the Wall]]'' (1950)
* ''[[The Next Voice You Hear...]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Night into Morning]]'' (1951)
* ''[[It's a Big Country]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Talk About a Stranger]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Shadow in the Sky]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Donovan's Brain (film)|Donovan's Brain]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The Dark Wave]]'' (1956) (Short)
* ''[[Hellcats of the Navy]]'' (1957)<ref name="The Films of Nancy Reagan" />
* ''[[Crash Landing (1958 film)|Crash Landing]]'' (1958)<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1957/08/03/archives/universal-plans-7-films-in-month-studio-has-busiest-august-in-5.html | title=Universal Plans 7 Films in Month | first=Thomas M. | last=Pryor | newspaper=The New York Times | date=August 3, 1957 | access-date=March 8, 2010 | archive-date=May 10, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510121620/http://www.nytimes.com/1957/08/03/archives/universal-plans-7-films-in-month-studio-has-busiest-august-in-5.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/31/archives/of-local-origin.html | title=Of Local Origin | newspaper=The New York Times | date=January 31, 1958 | access-date=March 8, 2010 | archive-date=May 10, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510121607/http://www.nytimes.com/1958/01/31/archives/of-local-origin.html | url-status=live }}</ref>
{{Div col end}}
As Nancy Davis, she also made a number of television appearances from 1953 to 1962, as a guest star in dramatic shows or installments of anthology series. These included ''[[Ford Theatre|Ford Television Theatre]]'' (her first appearance with Ronald Reagan came during a 1953 episode titled "First Born"), ''[[Schlitz Playhouse of Stars]]'', ''[[Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre]]'' (appearing with Ronald Reagan in the 1961 episode "The Long Shadow"), ''[[Wagon Train]]'', ''[[The Tall Man (TV series)|The Tall Man]]'', and ''[[General Electric Theater]]'' (hosted by Ronald Reagan).

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite book |last=Benze |first=James G. Jr. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780815325857/ |title=American First Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy |publisher=Garland Publishing |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-8153-1479-0 |editor-last=Gould |editor-first=Lewis L. |pages=583–607 |chapter=Nancy Reagan |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Boller |first=Paul F. Jr. |url=https://archive.org/details/presidentialwive0000boll/ |title=Presidential Wives |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-19-503763-0 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Brands |first=H. W. |author-link=H. W. Brands |year=2015 |title=Reagan: The Life |url=https://archive.org/details/reaganlife0000bran |url-access=registration |publisher=[[Anchor Books]] |isbn=978-0-385-53639-4}}
* {{Cite book |last=Caroli |first=Betty Boyd |author-link=Betty Boyd Caroli |url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiesfromm0000caro |title=First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-539285-2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Hendricks |first=Nancy |url=https://archive.org/details/americasfirstlad0000hend |title=America's First Ladies: A Historical Encyclopedia and Primary Document Collection of the Remarkable Women of the White House |date=2015 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-61069-883-2 |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Jason |title=A Companion to First Ladies |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-118-73218-2 |editor-last=Sibley |editor-first=Katherine A. S. |pages=585–603 |chapter=Nancy Reagan}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Schneider |first1=Dorothy |url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiesbiogr0000schn_k5c3 |title=First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary |last2=Schneider |first2=Carl J. |publisher=Facts on File |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4381-0815-5 |edition=3rd |url-access=registration}}

==Further reading==
{{Further|Bibliography of Ronald Reagan}}
* {{cite book| last = Anthony| first = Carl Sferrazza| title = America's Most Influential First Ladies| year = 2003| publisher = The Oliver Press| isbn = 978-1-881508-69-4 }}
* {{cite book|author=Anthony, Carl Sferrazza|title=First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power; 1961–1990 (Volume II)|url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiessaga200anth|url-access=registration|year=1991|publisher=William Morrow and Co|location=New York}}
* {{cite book| last = Benze| first = James G. Jr. | title = Nancy Reagan: On the White House Stage| year = 2005| publisher = University Press of Kansas| location = Lawrence, Kansas| isbn = 978-0-7006-1401-1 }}
* {{cite book| last = Beschloss| first = Michael| author-link = Michael Beschloss| title = Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America| year = 2007| publisher = Simon & Schuster| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-684-85705-3| url = https://archive.org/details/presidentialcour00besc}}
* {{cite book | last=Brower | first=Kate Andersen | title=The Residence: Inside the Private World of The White House | year=2015 | publisher=Harper | location=New York | isbn=978-0-06-230519-0}}
* {{cite book| last = Burns| first = Lisa M.| title = First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Press Framing of Presidential Wives| year = 2008| publisher = Northern Illinois University Press| location = DeKalb, Illinois| isbn = 978-0-87580-391-3 }}
* {{cite book| last = Cannon| first = Lou| author-link = Lou Cannon| title = Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power| year = 2003| publisher = Public Affairs| isbn = 978-1-58648-030-1 }}
* {{cite book| last = Deaver| first = Michael K.| author-link = Michael Deaver| title = Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan| url = https://archive.org/details/nancyportraitofm00deav| url-access = registration| year = 2004| publisher = William Morrow| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-06-078095-1 }}
* Gale Literature. "Nancy Reagan." in ''Gale Literature: Contemporary Authors'' (Gale, 2016) [https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/H1000081481/GPS?u=wikipedia&sid=GPS&xid=83770ddb online]
* {{cite book| last = Kelley| first = Kitty| title = Nancy Reagan: The Unauthorized Biography| year = 1991| publisher = Simon and Schuster| isbn = 978-0671646462 }}
* {{cite book| last = Klapthor| first = Margaret Brown| title = Official White House China: 1789 to the Present| year = 1999| publisher = Harry N. Abrams| isbn = 978-0-8109-3993-6 }}
* Leamer, Laurence. ''Make-Believe: The Story of Nancy and Ronald Reagan'' (Harper, 1983).
* {{cite book| last = Loizeau| first = Pierre-Marie| title = Nancy Reagan: The Woman Behind the Man| year = 2004| publisher = Nova Publishers| isbn = 978-1-59033-759-2 }}
* {{cite book| last = Loizeau| first = Pierre-Marie| title = Nancy Reagan in Perspective| year = 2005| publisher = Nova Publishers| isbn = 978-0-7425-2970-0 }}
* {{cite book| last = Metzger| first = Robert Paul| title = Reagan, American Icon| year = 1989| publisher = Bucknell University, Center Gallery| isbn = 978-0-916279-05-9| url = https://archive.org/details/reaganamericanic00metz}}
* Nyberg, Ferdinand. "Nancy Reagan in the ghetto. On space as mediator between structure and event." ''InterDisciplines. Journal of History and Sociology'' 7.2 (2016). [https://www.inter-disciplines.org/index.php/indi/article/download/1030/1138 online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604094015/https://www.inter-disciplines.org/index.php/indi/article/download/1030/1138 |date=June 4, 2020 }}
* {{cite book| last1 = Reagan| first1 = Nancy| last2 = Reagan| first2 = Ronald| title = I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan| year = 2000| publisher = Random House| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-375-50554-6 }}
* {{cite book| last1 = Reagan| first1 = Nancy| last2 = Novak| first2 = William| title = My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan| year = 1989| publisher = Random House| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-394-56368-8 | title-link = My Turn (memoir)}} H. W. Brands ''Reagan: The Life'' (2015) p.&nbsp;743 says "she wrote one of the most candid and at times self-critical memoirs in recent American political history."
* {{cite book| last1 = Reagan| first1 = Nancy| last2 = Libby| first2 = Bill| title = Nancy: The Autobiography of America's First Lady| year = 1980| publisher = [[HarperCollins]]| location = United States| isbn = 978-0-688-03533-4 }}
* {{cite book| last1 = Reagan| first1 = Nancy| last2 = Wilkie| first2 = Jane| title = To Love a Child| year = 1982| publisher = [[Bobbs-Merrill Company|Bobbs-Merrill]]| location = United States| isbn = 978-0-672-52711-1| url = https://archive.org/details/tolovechild00reag}}
* {{cite book| last1 = Schifando| first1 = Peter | last2 = Joseph | first2 = J. Jonathan | title = Entertaining at the White House with Nancy Reagan| year = 2007| publisher = William Morrow| location = New York| isbn = 978-0-06-135012-2 }}
* {{cite book| last = Wertheimer| first = Molly Meijer| title = Nancy Reagan in Perspective| year = 2004| publisher = Rowman & Littlefield Publishers| isbn = 978-0-7425-2970-0 }}
* {{cite book| last = Wills| first = Garry| author-link = Garry Wills| title = Reagan's America: Innocents at Home| url = https://archive.org/details/reagansamericain00will| url-access = registration| year = 1987| publisher = Doubleday| isbn = 978-0-385-18286-7 }}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* [https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/about-the-white-house/first-families/ First Lady profile] at [[WhiteHouse.gov]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110217032856/http://www.reaganlibrary.com/nancy-reagan-life-and-times.aspx Profile] at the [[Ronald Reagan Presidential Library]]
* {{C-SPAN}}
** [http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/42/Nancy-Reagan.aspx Nancy Reagan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103003822/http://firstladies.c-span.org/FirstLady/42/Nancy-Reagan.aspx |date=November 3, 2014 }} at [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[First Ladies: Influence & Image]]''
* [http://governors.library.ca.gov/firstladies/31-Reagan.html First Ladies of California] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321222536/http://governors.library.ca.gov/firstladies/31-Reagan.html |date=March 21, 2016 }}
* {{IMDb name|name=Nancy Davis}}
* {{IBDB name|name=Nancy Davis}}
* {{Find a Grave}}
* {{New York Times topic}}

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{{s-bef|before=[[Bernice Layne Brown|Bernice Brown]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Ladies and Partners of California|First Lady of California]]|years=1967–1975}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Gloria Deukmejian]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Rosalynn Carter]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[First Lady of the United States]]|years=1981–1989}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Barbara Bush]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Nancy Reagan}}
{{Ronald Reagan}}
{{US First Ladies}}
{{Spouses of California Governors}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Conservatism|Politics|History|California|Film|Television|Fashion}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Reagan, Nancy}}
[[Category:Nancy Reagan| ]]
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[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
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[[Category:Age controversies]]
[[Category:American adoptees]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
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[[Category:American women autobiographers]]
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[[Category:Deaths from congestive heart failure in California]]
[[Category:First ladies and gentlemen of California]]
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[[Category:Latin School of Chicago alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the Junior League]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players]]
[[Category:People from Bel Air, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from Bethesda, Maryland]]
[[Category:People from Flushing, Queens]]
[[Category:People from Washington Heights, Manhattan]]
[[Category:Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients]]
[[Category:Reagan family|Nancy]]
[[Category:Smith College alumni]]
[[Category:American women founders]]
[[Category:American founders]]
[[Category:American women memoirists]]
[[Category:20th-century American memoirists]]