Ronald Reagan: From Hollywood To The Oval Office

Reagan’s Governorship Of California Was Full Of Controversy

Photo Credit: Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Ronald Reagan announced his intentions to run for Governor of California in 1965. He ran on a platform of sending “welfare bums back to work” and cleaning up “the mess in Berkeley.” He was sworn into office in 1967 and his term as governor was filled with controversy and personal regret.

One of Reagan’s most famous acts was to sign the Mulford Act, repealing a law that allowed loaded firearms to be carried publicly. The Black Panthers marched at the state capital with loaded firearms in protest. More controversially, Reagan signed the “Therapeutic Abortion Act.” The legislation was intended to reduced “back-room-abortions.” Reagan immediately regretted signing the Act and spent the rest of his political career as a vocal pro-life supporter.