Nancy Reagan Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! == 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 web|url=http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/west-wing/press-briefing-room.htm|title=Brady Press Briefing Room|access-date=February 1, 2008|publisher=The White House Museum}}</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=http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/west-bedroom.htm|title=West Bedroom|access-date=February 1, 2008|publisher=The White House Museum}}</ref> 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}}</ref> A Chinese-pattern, handpainted wallpaper was added to the master bedroom.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/floor2/master-bedroom.htm|title=Master Bedroom|access-date=February 1, 2008|publisher=The White House Museum}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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.}}</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=http://time.com/4248899/nancy-reagan-death-obituary/}}{{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}}</ref> The skit helped to restore her reputation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/aug/19/local/me-deaver19?pg=4|page=5|title=Michael K. Deaver: 1938–2007 – 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 }}</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}}</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}} 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= ... 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 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}}</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 – 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}}</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=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/05/national/main621274.shtml|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=dead}}</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.}}</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=2014-10-24 |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=2022-11-22 |website=PBS NewsHour |language=en-us}}</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}}</ref> [[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]] 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}}</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 }}</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}}</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> === 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 – Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987|access-date=June 23, 2008|date=March 10, 1989|publisher=Department of Health and Human Services}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page