Nancy Reagan 1921–2016

Born New York City First Lady 1981–1989

Nancy Davis Reagan (born Anne Frances Robbins) married fellow actor and aspiring politician Ronald Reagan in 1952. Afterward, she became his closest political advisor and fiercest protector during a long political career spanning his election as governor of California in 1966 and his presidency in the 1980s. As first lady, she led the “Just Say No” campaign to educate children about the dangers of illegal drugs. She also supported the passage of the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which dramatically increased penalties. Reagan became the first wife of a president to address the General Assembly of the United Nations when she spoke about the impact of drug trafficking in 1988.

This likeness of Nancy Reagan by Aaron Shikler shows her wearing a dress in her signature “Reagan Red.” It ran on the January 14, 1985, cover of Time magazine and was accompanied by a headline that hailed her as the “White House Co-Star.”

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Time magazine