Don Regan | |
---|---|
11th White House Chief of Staff | |
In office February 4, 1985 – February 27, 1987 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | James Baker |
Succeeded by | Howard Baker |
66th United States Secretary of the Treasury | |
In office January 22, 1981 – February 1, 1985 |
|
President | Ronald Reagan |
Preceded by | G. William Miller |
Succeeded by | James Baker |
Personal details | |
Born |
Donald Thomas Regan December 21, 1918 Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | June 10, 2003 Williamsburg, Virginia, U.S. |
(aged 84)
Nationality | American |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Ann George Buchanan (1942–2003) |
Children | 4 |
Education | Harvard University (BA) |
Signature | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Donald Thomas "Don" Regan (December 21, 1918 – June 10, 2003) was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury from 1981 to 1985 and the White House Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 in the Ronald Reagan Administration. He advocated "Reaganomics" and tax cuts to create jobs and stimulate production. Before serving in the Reagan administration, Regan served as chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch from 1971 to 1980. He had worked at Merrill Lynch since 1946, and before this he had studied at Harvard University and served in the United States Marine Corps, achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the son of Kathleen (née Ahearn) and William Francis Regan, he was of Irish Catholic origins. Regan earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from Harvard College in 1940 and attended Harvard Law School before dropping out to join the Marine Corp at the outset of World War II. He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel while serving in the Pacific theater, and was involved in five major campaigns including Guadalcanal and Okinawa. In 1942, Regan married the former Ann George Buchanan (1921–2006), with whom he had four children: Donna Regan Lefeve, Donald T. Regan, Jr., Richard William Regan, and Diane Regan Doniger.
After the war, he joined Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc. in 1946, as an account executive trainee, working up through the ranks, eventually taking over as Merrill Lynch's chairman and CEO in 1971, the year the company went public. He held those positions until 1980.