Craig Shirley

Last updated
Craig Shirley
Craig Shirley by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Shirley in 2016
Born
Craigan Paul Shirley

(1956-09-24) September 24, 1956 (age 68)
Alma mater Springfield College
OccupationAuthor
SpouseZorine Shirley
Children4
Website www.craigshirley.com

Craigan Paul Shirley [1] [2] (born September 24, 1956) is a conservative American political consultant and author of four books on Ronald Reagan. [3]

Contents

Life and career

Youth and education

Shirley is the 2nd son of Edward Bruce Shirley and Barbara Cone Shirley. His father was a founding member of the New York State Conservative Party. [4] In 1964, he went door to door with his parents, campaigning for presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. In 1978, Shirley graduated from Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he majored in history and political science. [5]

Career

In the 1970s, he was on the staff of Senator Jacob Javits of New York, the John N. Dalton campaign for governor of Virginia, [6] and Senator Gordon Humphrey of New Hampshire. [7] Ronald Reagan traveled to New Hampshire to campaign for Humphrey, where Shirley first met Governor Reagan. [8]

In 1980, he ran an independent expenditure campaign in support of former California governor Ronald Reagan's presidential bid in the first six primary states on behalf of the Fund for a Conservative Majority. Shirley produced and placed radio and newspaper ads in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and three other states, maximizing the three quarters of a million dollars FCM budgeted for the campaign to help Reagan at a time when his campaign was short on funds. [9]

He joined the staff of the Republican National Committee in 1982. During the 1984 presidential campaign, Shirley was the Director of Communications for the National Conservative Political Action Committee, America's largest independent political committee, which spent over $14 million on behalf of President Ronald Reagan's re-election. [10] After the election, Shirley opened his own firm [11] and worked on numerous matters in co-ordination with the Reagan White House, including aid to the Nicaraguan Contras, support for the Strategic Defensive Initiative, support for the Afghanistan Mujahideen, support for Jonas Savimbi's UNITA, and support for the Tax Reform Act of 1986. He also worked on the White House Conference on Small Business in 1985.

In 1986, he became a consultant to the Fund for America's Future, the political action committee of Vice President George H. W. Bush, and worked on George H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential bid. [12] In 1991, Shirley ran an advertising and public affairs campaign supporting President Bush and Operation Desert Storm, later represented the Embassy of the State of Kuwait and was placed in charge of public relations for an international conference on democracy hosted in Prague by President Václav Havel of then Czechoslovakia. For a short time, Shirley and David Keene partnered in a firm, but that association ended in 1992. [13]

During the 1990s, Shirley conceived and created Citizens for State Power, which represented small investor-owned utilities, and they successfully stopped the attempts by Enron to nationalize the electricity grid. [14] In 2000, Craig Shirley & Associates became Shirley & Banister Public Affairs. In 2019, it became Shirley & McVicker Public Affairs. Shirley is the acting chairman of the political action committee Citizens for the Republic. [15] [16]

Shirley is a former member of the Board of Governors of the Reagan Ranch [17] and has lectured at the Reagan Library. [18] He was chosen in 2005 by Springfield College as their Outstanding Alumnus [19] and has been named the Visiting Reagan Scholar at Eureka College, Ronald Reagan's alma mater. He taught a weeklong class, "Reagan 101", at Eureka College in 2012. [20] He was also appointed as a Trustee of Eureka. [21] He is also a member of the school's Reagan Forward Advisory Council.

Books

His book December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World (2011) was a New York Times bestseller. [29] His book, Last Act, was named best narrative in the non-fiction category by USA Book News for 2015. His book Rendezvous with Destiny, about Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign, was named one of the five best campaign books of all time by the Wall Street Journal.

Personal life

Shirley is the founder of the Ft. Hunt Youth Lacrosse Program and was a coach there for 14 years. [30] Zorine Shirley is a Vice President of the Essex Country Historical Society. [31]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Reagan</span> President of the United States from 1981 to 1989

Ronald Wilson Reagan was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. A member of the Republican Party, he became an important figure in the American conservative movement, and his presidency is known as the Reagan era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 United States presidential election</span>

The 1976 United States presidential election was the 48th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 2, 1976. The Democratic nominee, former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter, narrowly defeated incumbent Republican President Gerald Ford. This was the first presidential election since 1932 in which the incumbent was defeated, as well as the only Democratic victory of the six such presidential elections between 1968 and 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 United States presidential election</span> American election

The 1980 United States presidential election was the 49th quadrennial presidential election, held on November 4, 1980. The Republican nominee, former California governor Ronald Reagan, defeated incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter in a landslide victory. This was the second consecutive election in which an incumbent president was defeated, although Gerald Ford assumed the presidency after President Richard Nixon resigned and was not elected, as well as the first election since 1888 that saw the defeat of an incumbent Democratic president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reagan Democrat</span> Democratic voters who supported Republican president Ronald Reagan

A Reagan Democrat is a traditionally Democratic voter in the United States, referring to working class residents who supported Republican presidential candidates Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and/or the 1984 presidential elections, and/or George H. W. Bush during the 1988 presidential election. The term Reagan Democrat remains part of the lexicon in American political jargon because of Reagan's continued widespread popularity among a large segment of the electorate.

<i>Human Events</i> American conservative political website

Human Events is an American conservative political news and analysis website. Founded in 1944 as a print newspaper, Human Events became a digital-only publication in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Time for Choosing</span> 1964 speech by Ronald Reagan

"A Time for Choosing", also known as "The Speech", was a speech presented during the 1964 U.S. presidential election campaign by future president Ronald Reagan on behalf of Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. "A Time for Choosing" launched Reagan into national prominence in politics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Republican National Convention</span> Political convention of the Republican Party

The 1976 Republican National Convention was a United States political convention of the Republican Party that met from August 16 to August 19, 1976, to select the party's nominees for president and vice president. Held in Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, the convention nominated President Gerald Ford for a full term, but only after narrowly defeating a strong challenge from former California Governor Ronald Reagan. The convention also nominated Senator Bob Dole from Kansas for vice president, instead of Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, who did not seek nomination for a full term. The keynote address was delivered by Tennessee Senator Howard Baker. Other notable speakers included Minnesota Representative Al Quie, retired Lieutenant Colonel and former Vietnam prisoner of war Raymond Schrump, former Democratic Texas Governor John Connally, Providence, Rhode Island mayor Vincent Cianci and Michigan Senator Robert P. Griffin. It is the last national convention by either of the two major parties to feature a seriously contested nomination between candidates.

John Patrick Sears was an American attorney, and a Republican political strategist. He served as Deputy Counsel to President Richard M. Nixon from 1969–70, and assisted both Nixon and Ronald Reagan in their presidential campaigns.

Debategate or briefing-gate was a political scandal affecting the administration of Ronald Reagan; it took place in the final days of the 1980 presidential election. Reagan's team acquired President Jimmy Carter's briefing papers, classified top secret, that Carter used in preparation for the October 28, 1980 debate with Reagan. The briefing papers were never specified to be either vital strategy memos or just routine position papers. This leak of campaign papers was not divulged to the public until late June 1983, after Laurence Barrett published Gambling with History: Reagan in the White House, an in-depth account of the Reagan administration's first two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Kengor</span> American writer and academic

Paul G. Kengor is an author and professor of political science at Grove City College and the senior director of the Institute for Faith and Freedom, a Grove City College think tank. He is a visiting fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace. Kengor has focused much of his work on Ronald Reagan, faith and the presidency, conservative politics, the Cold War, Communism, and Catholicism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electoral history of Ronald Reagan</span> List of political elections featuring Ronald Reagan as a candidate

This is the electoral history of Ronald Reagan. Reagan, a Republican, served as the 40th president of the United States (1981–1989) and earlier as the 33rd governor of California (1967–1975). At 69 years, 349 days of age at the time of his first inauguration, Reagan was the oldest person to assume the presidency in the nation's history, until Donald Trump was inaugurated in 2017 at the age of 70 years, 220 days. In 1984, Reagan won re-election at the age of 73 years, 274 days, and was the oldest person to win a US presidential election until Joe Biden won the 2020 United States presidential election at the age of 77 years, 349 days.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald Reagan 1980 presidential campaign</span> American political campaign

In the 1980 United States presidential election, Ronald Reagan and his running mate, George H. W. Bush, were elected president and vice president, defeating incumbents Jimmy Carter and Walter Mondale of the Democratic Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governorship of Ronald Reagan</span> Ronald Reagans tenure as the 33rd Governor of California

Ronald Reagan was the 33rd governor of California for two terms, the first beginning in 1967 and the second in 1971. He left office in 1975, declining to run for a third term. Robert Finch, Edwin Reinecke and John L. Harmer served as lieutenant governors over the course of his governorship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of modern American conservatism</span>

This timeline of modern American conservatism lists important events, developments and occurrences that have affected conservatism in the United States. With the decline of the conservative wing of the Democratic Party after 1960, the movement is most closely associated with the Republican Party (GOP). Economic conservatives favor less government regulation, lower taxes and weaker labor unions while social conservatives focus on moral issues and neoconservatives focus on democracy worldwide. Conservatives generally distrust the United Nations and Europe and apart from the libertarian wing favor a strong military and give enthusiastic support to Israel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speeches and debates of Ronald Reagan</span>

The speeches and debates of Ronald Reagan comprise the seminal oratory of the 40th President of the United States. Reagan began his career in Iowa as a radio broadcaster. In 1937, he moved to Los Angeles where he started acting, first in films and later television. After delivering a stirring speech in support of Barry Goldwater's presidential candidacy in 1964, he was persuaded to seek the California governorship, winning two years later and again in 1970. In 1980, as the Republican nominee for president of the United States, he defeated incumbent Jimmy Carter. He was reelected in a landslide in 1984, proclaiming that it was "Morning in America". Reagan left office in 1989.

Peter Dor Hannaford was an American business consultant and author who was a political consultant to California Governor and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 United States presidential election in Illinois</span>

The 1980 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 4, 1980. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1980 United States presidential election. State voters chose 26 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president. Illinois voters chose between the Democratic ticket of incumbent president Jimmy Carter and vice president Walter Mondale, and the Republican ticket of Ronald Reagan and running mate George H. W. Bush, as well as the independent candidacy of John B. Anderson and running mate Patrick Lucey.

<i>Killing Reagan</i> 2015 popular history book

Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency is a book written by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard about the attempted assassination of U.S. President Ronald Reagan in 1981. It is the fifth in the Killing series, following Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Jesus, and Killing Patton. The book was released on September 22, 2015, and topped The New York Times Best Sellers List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary</span> 1980 New Hampshire Republican Party presidential primary election

The 1980 New Hampshire Republican presidential primary was held on February 26, 1980, in New Hampshire as one of the Republican Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1980 United States presidential election. The contest drew national attention following George H. W. Bush's unexpected victory in the Iowa caucuses, which The New York Times had dubbed "the upset of the century." Despite this earlier setback, Ronald Reagan would go on to win New Hampshire decisively, securing 72,983 votes (50.2%) compared to Bush's 33,443 (23.0%), with Howard Baker of Tennessee finishing third with 18,943 votes (13.0%) and John B. Anderson of Illinois taking fourth with 14,458 votes (10.0%).

References

  1. "Green, Max: Files, 1985-1988" (PDF). Reagan Library. p. 143. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  2. "Contributions Arranged By Type And Recipient". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  3. "Craig Shirley". HarperCollins. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  4. "Edward Shirley Dies In Hospital". The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. March 12, 1977. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
  5. "Springfield College History Program News | Springfield College". springfield.edu. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  6. Quenqua, Douglas. "Profile: Shirley helps right-wing ideals reach new heights". The PR Week.
  7. "Ronald Reagan: A look at his life, presidency and policies with Craig Shirley" . Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  8. Shirley, Craig. "Ronald Reagan: A look at his life, presidency and policies with Craig Shirley". The Washington Post.
  9. "A Bit of History". Archived from the original on 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  10. Dillin, John. "Ad campaigns on behalf of candidates are rough-and-tumble". The Christian Science Monitor.
  11. "About Us" . Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  12. "Craig Shirley" . Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  13. "Craig Shirley" . Retrieved 2015-04-18.
  14. Drinkard, Jim. "Fronts in Lobbying Edging Grass Roots". Associated Press.
  15. "Officers" . Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  16. "Mission" . Retrieved 2015-04-27.
  17. "Reagan Ranch Board of Governors" . Retrieved 2012-08-08.
  18. "Lecture with author Craig Shirley" (web). craigshirley.com. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  19. "Lecture and Book Signing with Craig Shirley". Archived from the original on 2015-04-28. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  20. "Ronald Reagan" . Retrieved 2015-04-23.
  21. "EC elects trustees, officers" . Retrieved 2015-04-22.
  22. Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign that Started it All . Thomas Nelson. 2010. ISBN   978-1-59555-342-3.
  23. Shirley, Craig (2011). Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America. ISBN   978-1-935191-93-3.
  24. December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World . Thomas Nelson. 2011. ISBN   978-1-59555-457-4.
  25. Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan . Thomas Nelson. 2015. ISBN   978-1-59555-534-2.
  26. Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative. Thomas Nelson. 2017. ISBN   978-1-59555-448-2.
  27. Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother. Harper. 2019. ISBN   978-006245651-9.
  28. April 1945: The Hinge of History. Thomas Nelson. 2022. ISBN   978-140021708-3.
  29. "April 1945". Marketing Pages. Retrieved 2023-10-17.
  30. Hosticka, Alexis. "Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse Celebrates 25th Year". Alexandria Gazette Packet.
  31. elizabeth.prillaman. "Board of Directors & Staff". Essex County Museum & Historical Society. Retrieved 2023-01-19.