Leadership and Ethics of President Ronald Reagan

Introduction

Naturally gregarious and charismatic, even his critics admired Ronald Reagan's ability to cajole, persuade, and otherwise convince others of the legitimacy of his ideas. While he frequently got his facts wrong, as the 40th U.S. president, Reagan was consistent in demonstrating the kind of leadership that the nation needed following the Iranian takeover of the U.S. Embassy and the taking of embassy staff as hostages, and for confronting the Soviet Union's efforts to achieve European hegemony. This paper provides a summary of the key details about Reagan, a description of his positions of progressive responsibility culminating in two terms as U.S. president, and some important points concerning his life and times. An analysis of Reagan's alignment with the four universal principles of integrity, responsibility, compassion, and forgiveness, and the different bases of power he used, is followed by an assessment of his consistently demonstrated beliefs. In addition, an analysis of how Reagan affected the culture of the executive office is followed by an evaluation of which behaviors had a strong effect on the American public, his credibility, and how his attitudes and actions influenced the federal government's ethical practices. Finally, an assessment of whether Reagan can be regarded as an ethical leader is followed by a summary of the research and important findings in the conclusion.

Summary of the Key Details About Ronald Reagan

Born on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald "Dutch" Reagan was student body president of his high school and worked his way through Eureka College during the height of the Great Depression (Reagan biography, 2016). Following graduation, Reagan was a sports announcer for a short period of time before taking and passing a screen test for a part in a motion picture, which began an acting career that resulted in more than 50 films (Reagan biography, 2016). After being elected president of the Screen Actors Guild, Reagan was elected to two terms as governor of California and then two terms as U.S. president, beginning in 1980 (Reagan biography, 2016).

In 1940, Reagan married his first wife, actress Jane Wyman, with whom he had two children — Maureen and adopted son Michael — before divorcing in 1948 (Reagan biography, 2016). Although he was ineligible for combat service during World War II due to his eyesight, he served his country throughout the war by making training films, rising to the rank of captain (Reagan biography, 2016). In 1954, Reagan became the host of the weekly television series The General Electric Theater, a position that required him to tour the country as General Electric's public relations representative (Reagan biography, 2016). It was during this period that Reagan's political activism began in earnest, leading him ultimately to the highest office in the country (Reagan biography, 2016). Reagan died on June 4, 2004, at age 93, following a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease, having been the oldest president in U.S. history (Reagan biography, 2016).