Neil Reagan | |
|---|---|
 Reagan in 1981 | |
| Born | John Neil Reagan (1908-09-16)September 16, 1908 Tampico, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 11, 1996(1996-12-11) (aged 88) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Other names | "Moon"[1][2] |
| Alma mater | Eureka College (BA) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Jack Reagan Nelle Wilson Reagan |
| Relatives | Ronald Reagan (brother) |
John Neil Reagan (September 16, 1908 – December 11, 1996) was an American radio station manager,CBS senior producer, and senior vice president ofMcCann Erickson. He was the elder brother of theHollywood star andUnited States PresidentRonald Reagan.
.jpg)
Neil Reagan was born inTampico on September 16, 1908.[3] He was baptized as a Catholic,[4] the faith of his father. As an infant, he attended his mother's church, but later became affiliated with his father's religion. His younger brother was baptized and raised in their mother'sDisciples of Christ church.[5] Neil was described as a boisterous and gregarious personality in his youth.[6] His family and friends called him "Moon", which came from theMoon Mullins comic strip.[1][2]
In 1933, Neil graduated fromEureka College with aBachelor of Arts degree inEconomics.[3] He followed his brother toCalifornia and established a career as a television producer and advertising executive.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, Neil Reagan directed the radio seriesDr. Christian, starringJean Hersholt. In between he launched a brief Hollywood career as a supporting actor in films such asTugboat Annie Sails Again (1940) andDoughboys in Ireland (1943). Neil Reagan directedRonald Reagan in the television seriesDeath Valley Days.
He served as president of both theHollywood and Los Angeles advertising clubs, and also served on numerous community and professional boards including: the Crippled Children's Society of Los Angeles, the Kennedy Child Study Center in Santa Monica, and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. He was an alternate delegate to the1972 Republican National Convention from California, and a delegate to the1980 Republican National Convention.
The Reagan Physical Education Center on theEureka College campus was dedicated in 1970 in honor of both Ronald and Neil Reagan. Twelve years later, Ronald Reagan would return to the Reagan Center to make one of his most important foreign policy speeches of his first term known as the START speech, or Eureka speech.[citation needed] Reagan died from heart failure at a hospital in San Diego on December 11, 1996, at age 88.[2] He is buried inDes Moines, Iowa, at Highland Memorial Gardens Cemetery.
His wife, Ruth Elizabeth "Bess" Reagan (née Hoffman;[3] 1908–2010), whom he wed in 1935, died in 2010 at the age of 102. The couple had no children.[citation needed]
