Nancy Davis Reagan was born in New York City on July 6, 1921, with the original name of Anne Francis Robbins. She was an only child of a hopeful actress and salesman. Very early in her life, she picked up the nickname that we all know her as now, “Nancy.” With Nancy’s father leaving during her infancy, her mother, Edith, made the decision to send Nancy to live with her aunt and uncle in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1929, Edith married a Chicago neurosurgeon, Loyal Davis, and Nancy joined them. Shortly after in 1931, Loyal adopted Nancy, and she was shown a world of wealth she had never seen before.

Nancy received her Bachelors of Arts degree in 1943 from Smith College. After college, her work varied from a sales clerk to a nurse’s aide until finally finding her way into the acting field. In 1949, Nancy made her way to Hollywood and landed a seven-year contract with MGM studios, although success was a struggle. In 1949, many issues arose in the acting industry, and Nancy landed in the middle of it when she found her name on the Hollywood Blacklist. The Hollywood Blacklist was made to warn studios and producers of people in the industry who may be communist sympathizers, but Nancy was not involved in anything of the sort. At this time, she contacted Ronald Reagan, president of the Screen Actors Guild, and they were attracted to each other immediately.

After three years of unsure dating, Ronald proposed to Nancy and she accepted. They were married on March 4, 1952. October 21, 1952, was the birth of their first child, Patricia Ann. Nancy made three films after marriage and starred on a few television shows, but she finally decided to focus on family and the four children: Patricia, Ronald, Maureen, and Michael, two of which were from Ronald’s first marriage. While Ronald Reagan was elected California governor, Nancy was called “snobbish,” but after two terms as governor, she was well admired. In the 1976 election for president, Ronald decided to run, and Nancy supported him. Although he lost to Gerald Ford, he came back in 1980 and won.

As the First Lady, Nancy was criticized for being snobby, but with her progress in campaigning “Just Say No” for drug abuse awareness, Nancy became known as more than just a first lady. She continued to fight drug trafficking laws and international drug battles all while having a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1987 and underwent a mastectomy. Most importantly, she was her husband’s biggest protector after an attempted assassination on his life and during his resignation as president. In later years, when Ronald was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, she cared for him more than anyone else and following his death, became an active supporter of stem-cell research.

She received many honors throughout her life and finally joined her husband at the Reagan Presidential Library on March 6, 2016, at the age of 94, after passing away from congestive heart failure. Nancy Reagan not only served her country loyally but was a devoted wife and mother. She will be remembered for her strength and contributions to this country.