Regan, Donald

Regan, Donald (Thomas)

(1918– ) stockbroker, cabinet member; born in Cambridge, Mass. After serving as a Marine Corps officer in World War II, he started in 1946 as a trainee at the stockbrokerage firm, Merrill Lynch, rising to chief executive officer in 1973. After serving as President Reagan's secretary of the treasury (1981–85), he became the White House chief of staff (1985–87), and was so domineering that he alienated first lady Nancy Reagan. He was forced to resign after the Tower Commission's report on the Iran "arms for hostages" policy blamed him for the "chaos that descended upon the White House" after disclosure of this disastrous policy. His For the Record (1988) is an exposé of White House politics.