Maureen Reagan

Maureen Reagan
Maureen Reagan (center) with Robert Urich (left) and Jack Hogan in a publicity photo for the television show Vector, 1974
Born	Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (1941-01-04)January 4, 1941 Los Angeles, California
Died	August 8, 2001(2001-08-08) (aged 60) Granite Bay, California
Religion	Roman Catholic
Spouse(s)	John Filippone (m. 1961–62) David Sills (m. 1964–67) Dennis C. Revell (m. 1981–2001)
Parent(s)	Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) Jane Wyman (1917-2007)

Maureen Elizabeth Reagan (January 4, 1941 – August 8, 2001) was the first child of Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman.^[1] Her siblings were Michael Reagan (adopted); a sister, Christine, who died shortly after birth, and—from her father's second marriage to Nancy Davis—Patti Davis and Ron Reagan.

Biography

Maureen Reagan with her mother, Jane Wyman (1944)

Early life

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, graduated from Immaculate Heart High School, and briefly attended Marymount University.^[2]

Acting career

Reagan pursued a career in acting in her youth, appearing in films such as Kissin' Cousins (1964) with Elvis Presley.^[3]

Political activities

Reagan spoke on behalf on Republican candidates throughout the country, including twenty appearances alone in 1967 for an unsuccessful Mississippi gubernatorial nominee, Rubel Phillips, a former segregationist who ran that year on a platform of racial moderation.^[4]

Reagan was the first daughter of a president to run for political office,^[5] but both of her attempts at election ended in defeat. She ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate from California in 1982 - Pete Wilson was the eventual winner - and in 1992 for California's 36th congressional district.^[6]

Although they maintained a united front, Maureen Reagan differed from her father on several key issues. Although reared Roman Catholic following her mother's conversion, she was pro-choice on abortion.^[7] She also held the belief that Oliver North should have been court-martialed.^[8]

After her father announced his diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease in 1994, Maureen Reagan became a member of the Alzheimer's Association board of directors and served as the group’s spokeswoman. During her hospitalization for melanoma cancer, Maureen was only floors away from her father, who had suffered a severe fall.^[9]

Personal life

She was married three times:

• John Filippone, a policeman; they were married in 1961 and divorced the following year.^[10]
• David G. Sills, a lawyer and Marine Corps officer; they married on February 28, 1964; the couple divorced in 1967.^[10]
• Dennis C. Revell, whom she married on April 25, 1981.^[10] She and Revell had one daughter, Margaret "Rita" Mirembe Revell, who was born in Uganda.^{[11][12][13][14]} The Revells became Rita's guardians in 1994. They adopted her in 2001.^[11] Rita was the beneficiary of a private bill to facilitate her adoption as Maureen and Dennis Revell were unable to complete the necessary paperwork and other requirements by the Ugandan government, including a personal visitation to that country, due, in large part, to Maureen Reagan Revell's terminal cancer which claimed her life in 2001, aged 60.^{[11][14][15][16]}

Death

Maureen Reagan died in Granite Bay, California, on August 8, 2001, aged 60, from melanoma, three years before her father died. She was survived by her husband, her daughter, her parents, her step-mother, and her siblings.^[2] Maureen Reagan is interred at Calvary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum in Sacramento, California.^[17]

Reagan volunteered with actor David Hyde Pierce, of TV's Frasier, at the Alzheimer’s Association. At her funeral on August 19, 2001, Pierce spoke to the gathering at Cathedral of Blessed Sacrament in Sacramento, California, and recalled his friend's tireless devotion to fighting the mind-robbing illness. "When she was given lemons, she did not make lemonade. She took the lemons, threw them back and said, 'Oh, no you don't.'"^[18]

References

External links

• Gravesite Photo
• Maureen Reagan at the Internet Movie Database
• Upstairs at the White House
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Maureen Reagan at Find a Grave

Ronald Reagan 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975) Life and politics Birthplace Pitney Store Boyhood home Rancho del Cielo Filmography Presidential Library Death and state funeral Political positions Governship of California Namesakes and memorials Presidency First inauguration Second inauguration Domestic policy Economic policy Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 Tax Reform Act of 1986 Assassination attempt Strategic Defense Initiative Foreign policy Reagan Doctrine Cold War: first term second term 1985 Geneva Summit 1986 Reykjavík Summit INF Treaty 1987 Washington Summit 1988 Moscow Summit Invasion of Grenada Iran–Contra Resolute desk The Grace Commission Cabinet Federal judicial appointments Supreme Court controversies Speeches Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine "A Time for Choosing" Reagan's Neshoba County Fair "states' rights" speech First inaugural address "Ash heap of history" "Evil empire" "Tear down this wall!" State of the Union Address: 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 Books An American Life (1990 autobiography) The Reagan Diaries (2007) Biographical works Elections California gubernatorial election, 1966 1970 Republican Party presidential primaries, 1968 1976 1980 1984 Republican National Convention 1968 1976 1980 1984 Ronald Reagan presidential campaign, 1980 "There you go again" United States presidential election, 1976 1980 1984 Popular culture In fiction In music Postage stamps The Day Reagan Was Shot (2001 film) The Reagans (2003 film) Reagan (2011 documentary) The Butler (2013 film) "What would Reagan do?" Family Jack Reagan (father) Nelle Wilson Reagan (mother) Neil Reagan (brother) Jane Wyman (first wife) Nancy Reagan (second wife) Maureen Reagan (daughter) Michael Reagan (adopted son) Patti Davis (daughter) Ron Reagan (son) Rex (dog) Book California portal Category Conservatism portal Wikibooks Wikiquote Wikisource texts