Ronald Reagan was the fortieth president of the United States of America and, I believe, one of the best presidents we have ever had as a nation. He was the president for two terms from 1981 to 1989, proceeded by Jimmy Carter and succeeded by George H.W. Bush. His leadership skills where exhibited through the many trials and tribulations that took place during his presidency. He had to keep his composure through assassination attempts, economy problems, immigration problems, and various wars including the Cold War. Ronald Wilson Reagan was born in Illinois in 1911. He had one older brother that he was very close to, is family moved around Illinois when he was young, eventually settling in the town of Dixon. Young Ronald Reagan was said…show more content… He became a star on the football team through hard work and effort. He was in church and school plays and also become the president of the student body when he was a senior. He moved on to Eureka College in his home state of Illinois, double majoring in economics and sociology. He was very active while in college; he was on the football, track, and swim teams, as well as the cheerleading team for basketball. Not did he participate in all those athletic teams he also was involved as a yearbook editor, booster club president, and student body president. As student body president he lead a revolt against the college when they wanted to cut back on the amount of faculty on staff. ("American President: Ronald Wilson Reagan: Life Before the…show more content… His desire to lead was evident early on I his life when he was student body president in high school and college. His main leadership trait was determination, when he decided he wanted to do something he made sure it happened and never gave up. He could have given up on his acting career when he realized how hard it was going to be, but he didn’t and became a famous actor. He could have not ran for president a second time after losing in the primary, but he didn’t. His greatest feat as a leader was ending the Cold War. To be the first president to meet with a USSR leader took a lot of courage and trust in himself, ultimately this courage and determination cause the end to the Cold