Nancy Reagan’s Life in Photos

1923 – Edith separates from Nancy’s father and pursues acting. She tries bringing her baby daughter backstage, but soon decides Nancy should live with Edith’s sister in Bethesda, Md. Photo Reagan Library

1929 – Nancy’s mother marries Dr. Loyal Davis, a respected neurosurgeon. Nancy joins the couple in Chicago and begins to lead a more privileged life. When she goes off to summer camp, she writes home to her new stepfather: “Will you please tell mother that I wove a rug for the guest bathroom? How do you like my book plates I made? I hope you like them.” Photo: Courtesy Superior View Photography

1938 – Nancy travels to New York to ask her birth father to sign papers releasing her to be adopted by her mother’s husband, Dr. Loyal Davis. Nancy sends a simple telegram back to Dr. Loyal: Hi Dad.

March 2, 1949 –  Photo from Reagan Presidential Library MGM invites Nancy to Los Angeles for an audition. Family friend Spencer Tracy asks director George Cukor to oversee the screen test. MGM signs her for a seven-year contract starting at $250 per week.

November 15, 1949 – Nancy Davis meets the president of the Screen Actor’s Guild for dinner at La Rou’s in order to gain his assurance that she will not be blacklisted like many Hollywood stars. His name is Ronald Reagan. Photo: Geri Bauer

March 4, 1952 – Nancy Davis marries Ronald Reagan at the Little Brown Church in Studio City, California. Photo Reagan Library

May 20, 1958 – The Reagan family grows when their son, Ronald Prescott Reagan, is born.

November 8, 1966 – Supporters cheer as Nancy Reagan stands by her husband, the Governor-elect of California, whose campaign she supported by hosting luncheons and participating in Q&A sessions around the state. Photo: Reagan Library

January 11, 1968 – A panel of 2,000 fashion experts name Nancy Reagan to the International Best Dressed List.

1972 – Mrs. Reagan champions the Foster Grandparents Program and encourages older Americans to help children with special needs. Photo: Reagan Library

January 20, 1981 – Mrs. Reagan becomes the first lady of the United States. Reagan Presidential Library

July 29, 1981 – Mrs. Reagan poses in a three-part silk ensemble before attending Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding. The first lady’s busy social calendar, which includes a tea with the Queen Mother, generates attention back home. A postcard depicting Mrs. Reagan wearing a crown becomes popular. Photo: Reagan Library

March 8, 1983 – Mrs. Reagan tapes an episode of “Diff’rent Strokes” in hopes of exposing more children to her anti-drug message. Photo: Reagan Library

November 19, 1985 – The first lady accompanies President Reagan to Geneva, Switzerland where they meet the Gorbachevs. She encourages the president to talk one on one with the Soviet leader while she has tea with Mrs. Gorbachev.

December 8, 1986 – When Mrs. Reagan invites the press to see the Christmas decorations at the White House, reporters question her about unrest in the administration related to the Iran-contra affair. Photo: Reagan Library

February 4, 1988 – Charles Barkley and Wayman Tisdale lift Mrs. Reagan up to the basket at a “Just Say No” Basketball game in Indianapolis, Indiana. Thousands of anti-drug “Just Say No” clubs form at schools around the country. Photo: Reagan Library

November 21, 1988 – The Reagans break ground at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California. The Library becomes an important place for Mrs. Reagan as she helps the nation remember her husband’s presidency.

October 1989 – Nancy writes “My Turn,” a memoir on the Reagan White House years. The book becomes a best-seller.

June 5, 2004 – Mr. Reagan dies at age 93. His state funeral on June 11 culminates in a sunset burial at the Reagan Library.