Nancy Davis Reagan was born Anne Frances Robbins on July 6, 1921 in Queens, New York to Edith Luckett Robbins and Kenneth Seymour Robbins. She was named after her grandmothers, but was nicknamed “Nancy” by her mother at an early age.

According to family legend, Nancy was actually due on the fourth of July, but as her mother was a devoted baseball fan and determined to see a doubleheader that day, she somehow managed to delay the birth. When her mother finally did arrive at the hospital, she was told there were no rooms available and she would have to go somewhere else. Edith Robbins was a very determined woman, however, and refused to take “no” for an answer. She simply lay down in the middle of the reception room floor and announced that she would have her baby right there. The hospital found her a room. It was a particularly hot afternoon, and Edith overheard the doctor say that he wanted to hurry up and deliver the baby so he could get out on the golf course. Forceps were needed to help with the difficult delivery, and as a result, Nancy’s right eye wouldn’t open. When the doctor told Edith that Nancy might be blind in that eye, she angrily informed him that she’d heard he was in a rush to get out and play golf, and threatened him with bodily harm if her daughter’s eye didn’t open. Fortunately for the doctor, Nancy’s eye opened two weeks later.

Edith was born in Petersburg, Virginia, the youngest of nine children, to Charles and Sarah Luckett. Her parents were married in Petersburg, but moved to Washington, D.C. early in their marriage. Edith said that her mother returned to Petersburg for the birth of each of her children, however, insisting that she didn’t want them to be born “damn Yankees.” With such a large family to provide for, the Lucketts were not well off. In fact, not many of the Luckett children stayed in school for long, and had to work to help support the family. One of the older boys, Joseph, managed a local theater in Washington, where the young Edith made her first appearance on stage. She fell in love with acting, and eventually quit school by age sixteen to pursue her dream. She performed with various stock theater companies that traveled up and down the East Coast. Edith worked with many well known actors of the period, including George M. Cohan, Walter Huston, Spencer Tracy and the great silent film star Alla Nazimova. In 1914 she met Kenneth Robbins.

Kenneth Seymour Robbins was born in 1894 to a prosperous family, and his father was an executive in a manufacturing company. Despite Ken’s background and Princeton education, he was not particularly ambitious, and was working as a car salesman when he met Edith. He was taken by Edith’s beauty, her energy and her sense of humor. Ken had been somewhat of a “momma’s boy,” and his mother, known as Nannee, was a formidable presence in his life. In those days, the acting profession was not held in very high esteem, but despite the fact that Nannee was an imposing woman of significant social stature, she found Edith charming and approved of the marriage. Ken and Edith were married on June 27, 1916.

Edith truly intended to give up acting when she was married, but after living in a farmhouse in the Vermont countryside for only a few months, she became restless and talked Ken into moving to New York. It wasn’t long before she was back on the stage, and an unhappy Ken worked as an insurance agent. Edith’s first Broadway play opened in January of 1917, and soon afterwards went on tour. When the United States declared war on Germany that year, Ken enlisted in the Army and Edith continued her acting career. Ken was honorably discharged in January of 1919, and he returned to Edith. When she became pregnant in late 1920, Ken wanted them to move to Vermont to raise their child. When Edith refused to leave New York, Ken left. Edith gave birth to their daughter alone.

Ken returned sometime after Nancy was born, and Edith gave up acting for about a year in an effort to make the marriage work. Eventually, however, their differences couldn’t be overcome, and they separated for good in 1922. Ken moved with his mother to New Jersey, and Edith took sole responsibility for raising Nancy.

After Ken Robbins left his wife and child, Edith refused to accept alimony from her husband, and resumed her acting career to support herself and her daughter. Until Nancy was two years old, Edith took her with her wherever she went. Eventually, Edith decided that traveling from show to show was no life for a child, and in 1923 she reluctantly decided to leave Nancy with her sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and C. Audley Galbraith, who lived in Bethesda, Maryland. Meanwhile, Edith lived in an apartment in New York, and traveled with theater companies throughout the East.

C. Audley Galbraith worked for the Southern Railroad as an assistant auditor, and Virginia was a housewife. Though they were sisters, Edith and Virginia were not alike. Edith was vivacious and outgoing, while Virginia was quiet and reserved. The Galbraiths had one daughter, Charlotte, who was three years older than Nancy. The two girls got along well, and in 1925 Nancy joined Charlotte in attending Sidwell Friends School, an exclusive private Quaker institution in Washington, D.C. in which children of high government officials and prosperous Washington residents were often enrolled. Though the Galbraiths were of a middle-class standing, many of Nancy and Charlotte’s fellow students were quite wealthy.

Edith thrived in the world of theater, and earned favorable reviews as a leading lady. She made many friends on the road, including some of the great actors and actresses of the day: George M. Cohan, Walter Huston, Louis Calhern and Alla Nazimova, legendary star of silent movies who became Nancy’s godmother. Among Edith’s closest friends were a struggling young unknown actor named Spencer Tracy and his wife, Louise. The Tracys had a young son, John, so the Tracys and Edith traveled extensively, playing roles in regional theater companies, in order to support their children.

The Galbraiths embraced Nancy into their loving, stable and happy family, but she missed her mother terribly. Whenever Edith had a job in New York, Nancy’s Aunt Virgie would take her to see the show. Nancy loved the theater, and saw her mother’s productions over and over. She would dress up in her mother’s costumes and makeup and act out her mother’s roles. Stagehands doted on her -- one built her a dollhouse for Christmas one year.

Edith would visit Nancy in Bethesda whenever she could, and would bring her exciting world with her. She entertained the Galbraith household with tales of her travels and shows, and taught Nancy and Charlotte the latest dance craze, the Charleston. Nancy was enthralled with her mother’s exhilarating life in the theater, and would later embark upon a similar career herself.

Ken Robbins was mostly absent from his daughter’s life during the five years Nancy spent with the Galbraiths, and he and Edith never reunited. They divorced in February of 1928, and soon afterward Ken married Patricia “Patsie” Cross of Montclair, New Jersey.

In the summer of 1927, Edith sailed to England on the SS New York to join a company of English actors. On board, she met Dr. Loyal Davis, an associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University, and a pioneer in the new field of neurosurgery. Dr. Davis and a colleague were traveling to England to speak at a conference of American and British neurologists. Dr. Davis was married at the time, though his relationship with his wife, Pearl, was troubled and she had declined to accompany him on the trip.

Loyal Davis was born on January 17, 1896, in Galesburg, Illinois. His father, Albert Clark Davis, was an engineer on the Burlington Railroad, and his mother, Laura Hensler Davis, was a housewife. Masonic Lodges were an important part of life in Galesburg, providing the main social life for the working class. Albert Davis was highly involved in his Lodge, and Laura advanced to a high rank in the women’s Masonic organization, Eastern Star. Loyal graduated high school at fifteen, valedictorian of his class. He had expected to follow in his father’s footsteps and work for the railroad, but a professor friend convinced him to take some college preparatory classes. He did well, and then enrolled in Knox College in Galesburg for two years. He entered Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago at eighteen, and in 1918 earned his M.D. In 1919 he met and married his first wife, Pearl, a nurse at the hospital where Loyal served as an intern. Loyal went on to specialize in surgery, and eventually moved into the new field of neurosurgery. He became the first full-time neurological surgeon in Chicago. Loyal and Pearl had a son, Richard, on June 25, 1925, but the marriage was already in trouble. They were divorced in 1928.

In April through August of 1928, Edith was in Chicago performing in two consecutive George M. Cohan plays, one of which co-starred her friend Spencer Tracy. Dr. Davis came to see her perform, and they were soon seeing each other regularly. At some time during this period, Dr. Davis proposed.

Edith came to visit Nancy in Bethesda to tell her about Dr. Davis. She told her daughter that she wanted to marry him, but that she wouldn’t do so unless Nancy approved. She told Nancy that if she married Dr. Davis, she would give up acting and would bring Nancy to live with them in Chicago. After five long years of separation from her mother, Nancy happily agreed.

On May 21, 1929, Edith Robbins and Loyal Davis were married in Chicago. Nancy remembers being very happy for her mother, but just a little bit jealous that she would have to share her with Dr. Davis. Loyal Davis had a son, Richard, from his previous marriage, who was four years younger than Nancy. Richard lived with his mother most of the year, but joined his father, Edith and Nancy in Chicago during the summer months.

Edith and Loyal were very happy together. They were a perfect example of opposites attracting. Edith was outgoing and fun-loving, and Loyal was hardworking and proper. She was a Democrat; he was a Republican. She was gregarious and friendly; he was serious and reserved. Edith helped Loyal gain friends and acceptance, and Loyal gave Edith security.

Loyal was very ambitious professionally, and Edith was equally ambitious socially. She supported Loyal in his work, and began expanding his social circle. Though Loyal was an extremely well-respected surgeon, he was not earning a large salary. In 1931, Edith began working on a radio soap opera called, Betty and Bob. Each episode of the show was fifteen minutes long, and it aired five days a week. Soon Edith was making a considerable contribution to the Davis family’s income. As they became more and more successful they moved several times within Chicago’s best neighborhoods and gained greater social status. Edith became involved in charity work, helping out at the Art Institute and the Passavant Hospital gift shop, and she volunteered with the Red Cross and the Seeing Eye. She began working with the women’s division of the Chicago Community Fund, and would serve as its chairperson for twenty-five years.

Nancy was enrolled into the prestigious Girl’s Latin School of Chicago right away, but there was a waiting list and she didn’t begin attending until three years later. In the meantime, she attended the University School for Girls, also a private institution but not quite as elite as the Girls Latin School. Nancy started at Girls Latin School in 1931 as a fifth grade student. The school was very conservative, and considered one of the best academically and socially. She was a good student, charming and popular with the other girls as well as the boys who attended the nearby Boys Latin School. She and her parents went to the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Scottsdale during Easter vacations, and she spent eight weeks every summer at Camp Kechuwa in Michigamme, Michigan.

Though she had retired from her career as a stage actress, Edith maintained her relationships with her glamorous theater friends, and they visited often. Many had become major stars by then -- Spencer Tracy was one of Hollywood’s most popular leading men. Walter Huston (“Uncle Walter” to Nancy) was successful in Hollywood and also one of the biggest stars on Broadway. Mary Martin, Lillian Gish and Katharine Hepburn were regular guests. Edith and Loyal also became good friends with Ed Kelly, who would later serve as Mayor of Chicago for three terms, and his wife, Margaret.

Nancy came to idolize her stepfather. At first he was distant and formal, and Nancy somewhat resented his closeness to her mother. Dr. Davis didn’t push, and allowed Nancy to get to know him at her own pace. He believed in old-fashioned values, and that children should be raised to be ladies and gentlemen. He was strict but fair, and insisted that Nancy obey the rules. He demanded that Nancy always give her best effort, and she strived to live up to his expectations. She enjoyed their serious and intellectual discussions, and he challenged her to reach her full capabilities. He included her on his trips to visit his parents, and they treated her as if she were their own grandchild. She admired him greatly, and eventually would consider him her true father.

During this period, Nancy saw Ken Robbins only sporadically. He visited her in Chicago in the summer of 1929. Nancy went to see Ken and his wife, Patsy, in 1931, and they vacationed at Niagara Falls. Her relationship with her biological father was never very good, and some years later, on a trip to Ken and Patsy’s home, a traumatic incident occurred that ultimately led to Nancy’s decision to ask Loyal Davis to legally adopt her. In her memoirs, Nancy Reagan wrote that Ken Robbins made a disparaging remark about her mother, which angered the young Nancy. She declared that she was going to call her mother and return home. Ken got upset and locked Nancy in the bathroom. It was a traumatizing experience for Nancy, and her relationship with Ken was irreparably damaged. Soon afterward, she approached a neighbor in their Chicago apartment building, Orville Taylor, a retired judge. She asked him how to go about becoming adopted, and with her mother’s permission, Taylor helped her complete the necessary paperwork. She met with Ken and her grandmother to explain what she wanted to do, and he reluctantly signed an agreement to allow Nancy to be adopted by Loyal Davis. On April 19, 1938, at the age of 16, Nancy filed a petition of adoption, and she also requested that her name be changed. Anne Francis Robbins legally became Nancy Davis.

Nancy Davis graduated from Girls Latin School in June of 1939, and entered Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in September. That summer, Loyal Davis’ first wife, Pearl, died of tuberculosis and their son, Richard, came to live with Edith and Loyal in Chicago. Four years younger than Nancy, he entered ninth grade at the Boys Latin School. Nancy and Richard had spent summers together since Edith and Loyal’s marriage, and had always gotten along well. After he moved to Chicago, though Nancy was usually away at Smith, they became very close.

On December 28, 1939, while she was home for Christmas vacation, Nancy made her debut at the Casino Club where her parents were members. In spite of the economic hardships that lingered from the Great Depression, coming-out parties for the daughters of high-society families were very popular, and the social scene in Chicago was filled with lunches, teas, dinners and debutante balls. A prominent Chicago socialite and heiress, Mrs. Patrick A. Valentine, gave a dinner in Nancy’s honor at her Gold Coast mansion.

And at one of the debutante season’s teas, Nancy met a Princeton student, Frank Birney, Jr., who would become her first college beau. They dated for about eighteen months, and were beginning to talk of a future together when tragedy struck. On December 15, 1941, Frank was running across train tracks to catch a train when he was struck and killed. Some have theorized that Frank, despondent over school problems and disturbed by the recent attack on Pearl Harbor, committed suicide. Nancy has always maintained that it was an accident, and in either case it was a terrible blow for her.

With her extensive exposure to the world of theater, Nancy had decided at a very young age to follow in her mother’s footsteps and be an actress. While she was at Girls Latin School, she had been cast in several school plays. In her senior year at Girls Latin, ironically enough, she played the lead in First Lady, by Katharine Dayton and George S. Kaufman. She was cast as the wife of one of two candidates for the presidency, and her character helps her husband win. When she entered Smith, it was with a promise to her father that she would complete at least one year before pursuing her acting career. But she enjoyed college, and stayed on. She spent two summers as an unpaid apprentice in summer stock theaters, and in her third year, she declared drama as her major. Nancy’s first play at Smith was a production called Susan and God, and she and a group of students later formed a theater group which produced a musical comedy about college life called Ladies on the Loose.

When American entered World War II, Loyal Davis was called to Europe to be a consultant in neurological surgery for the U.S. Army. Edith struggled to make ends meet at home, and Nancy completed her education at Smith. Edith worked as a volunteer at the servicemen’s centers, offering soldiers hot meals, a place to stay, and entertainment. In her final semester at Smith, Nancy starred in one last production, Make with the Maximum: A Factory Follies, a musical designed to entertain war workers. Nancy graduated on May 23, 1943, and returned home to Chicago to stay with her mother until her father returned from Europe.

In the fall of 1944, Nancy was offered a part in a play, Ramshackle Inn, a traveling production starring ZaSu Pitts. She joined the company in Detroit, and as the play toured the country, Pitts was a mentor and friend to Nancy. The play ended its tour in New York, and Nancy decided to stay and pursue her dream to be an actress.

Nancy Davis moved to New York City in December of 1944, and it was an exciting time to be a young actress in Manhattan. The war was coming to an end and the mood was upbeat. Broadway was enjoying its best season in twenty years, with a record number of new plays and hits, including Rogers and Hammerstein’s Carousel and their long-running Oklahoma!, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, and Jerome Robbins’ On the Town, with music by Leonard Bernstein.

Most parents at that time might have been concerned about their daughter living alone in New York, but the Davis’ knew there were many family friends and theater colleagues to look after Nancy. Walter and Nan Huston, Lillian Gish and Katharine Hepburn all lived nearby, and Spencer Tracy was appearing in a show on Broadway. Even with all of her contacts, it’s not easy to break into show business, and Nancy spent the first year auditioning and doing modeling jobs to get by as she waited for that first role. In December of 1945 she was cast in a new play, Lute Song, a musical fantasy about China. Nancy played Si-Tchun, a lady in waiting to Mary Martin’s princess character. The show opened on February 6, 1946, and ran for six months. After that, she had a significant role in a traveling production called, The Late Christopher Bean, which starred family friend, Zasu Pitts. The show toured for six months until December of 1947, and was Nancy’s final stage role.

One of Nancy’s most memorable events in New York was a week she spent escorted around town by Clark Gable. It had been five years since the death of his wife, Carole Lombard, and Spencer Tracy had suggested Gable call Nancy while he was visiting New York. He took her to dinner one night, and after that they went out every day and every night for the duration of his stay in New York. They went to baseball games in the afternoons and to the best restaurants for dinner every night. With her background and famous friends, Nancy wasn’t easily star struck, but even so, she was excited to be in the company of a major celebrity like Clark Gable. Wherever they went they were the center of attention, and the gossip magazines speculated that Gable might give up his bachelor life for Nancy. In the end, he returned to California and their would-be romance didn’t have a chance to take off.

Nancy did a little acting in the newest medium, television. She reprised her role in a TV production of Ramshackle Inn, and then a few roles in various television dramas. While she hadn’t established a highly successful career as a stage actress in New York, she was about to begin a whole new acting career in Hollywood.