Jack Reagan
Encyclopedia
John Edward “Jack” Reagan (July 13, 1883–May 18, 1941) was the father of United States President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....

 (1911–2004) and his older brother Neil "Moon" Reagan
Neil Reagan
John Neil Reagan was a radio station manager, CBS senior producer and senior vice president of McCann Erickson. He is the older brother of Ronald Reagan....

 (1908–1996).

Early life

Jack was the youngest of four children born to John Michael Reagan and Jennie (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....

 Cusick), both of whom were second-generation Irish Americans. Reagan's parents died of tuberculosis when he was six, and he then lived with an elderly aunt who provided him with a strict Catholic upbringing. After a few years of elementary education, Reagan worked as a shoe salesman. He met Nelle Wilson in a dry goods store in Fulton, Illinois
Fulton, Illinois
Fulton is a city in Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,481 at the 2010 census, down from 3,881 at the 2000 census. Fulton is located across the Mississippi River from Clinton, Iowa.-Geography:...

. The two were married in Fulton's Catholic church in November 1904. They had two children: Neil "Moon" Reagan
Neil Reagan
John Neil Reagan was a radio station manager, CBS senior producer and senior vice president of McCann Erickson. He is the older brother of Ronald Reagan....

 and Ronald Wilson Reagan. After the birth of their second son, Reagan's wife Nelle was told not to have any more children. Between 1914 to 1920, the Reagan family moved several times from Tampico
Tampico, Illinois
Tampico is a village located in Tampico Township, Whiteside County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census the village had a total population of 790, up from 772 at the 2000 census. U.S. President Ronald Reagan was born there and lived there for two brief periods of his...

 to several small Illinois towns and Chicago, before finally settling down in Dixon
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,733 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,941 at the 2000 census. Named for its founder, John Dixon , it is the county seat of Lee County. Located on the Rock River, Dixon was the boyhood home of former U.S...

 in 1920.

Ancestry

Jack's paternal grandfather, Michael O'Regan was a native of County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...

, Ireland. O'Regan worked as a tenant farmer during his early years in Ireland, before he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 in 1852. O'Regan married an Irish refugee, Catherine Mulcahey in London and anglicised his family surname as "Reagan". The Reagans relocated to Carroll County, Illinois in 1856, where their son, John Michael was born. John Michael became as a grain-elevator farmer, and married Jenny Cusick in 1878. Cusick was born in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, but like John Michael her parents came from Ireland. Their son, John Edward "Jack", was born five years later.


See also

  • Birthplace of Ronald Reagan
    Birthplace of Ronald Reagan
    The Birthplace of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Graham Building, is located in an apartment on the second floor of a late 19th century commercial building in Tampico, Illinois, United States. The building was built in 1896 and housed a tavern from that time until 1915...

  • Pitney Variety Store
    H. C. Pitney Variety Store Building
    The H.C. Pitney Variety Store Building is a commercial building in downtown Tampico, Illinois, United States. The building was constructed in 1900 but is probably most notable for its upstairs tenants from 1919-1920. During this period, H.C. Pitney operated the building as the H.C. Pitney Variety...

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