At Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan’s prized California ranch, the president banned any discussion of politics and his wife, Nancy, irritated ranch workers by being “stingy” with dinner portions, a biographer recently revealed.
Nestled amid 688 lush acres in the hills near Santa Barbara, Reagan’s ranch home was her favorite place in the world.
After moving into the White House on January 20, 1981, the former California governor found his new digs too sheltered, describing the situation as giving him a “feeling of isolation like a bird in a gilded cage.”
Whenever the opportunity presented itself, the president would leave Washington for his 1,500-square-foot ranch, where he could ride horses and do manual labor.
At Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan’s prized California ranch, the president forbade any discussion of politics, and his wife, Nancy, irritated ranch workers by being “stingy” with dinner portions, a biographer recently revealed.
Whenever the opportunity presented itself, the president would leave Washington for his 1,500-square-foot ranch, where he could ride horses and do manual labor.
While at the ranch, the Gipper had certain rules, and one of them was that discussing politics was strictly forbidden, biographer Max Boot revealed.
When Reagan performed routine ranch jobs (chopping firewood, mending fences, pruning trees, clearing brush), he was accompanied by two companions, Barney Barnett and Dennis LeBlanc.
Asked by Boot about his experience assisting the president, LeBlanc, who was 35 in 1981, said the former California governor did not tolerate discussions of politics.
“No politics,” LeBlanc told Boot laconically, who adapted an excerpt from his forthcoming Reagan biography for an article in the The Wall Street Journal.
“All we did was talk about ranch stuff or family stuff,” LeBlanc added.
While at the ranch, the Gipper had certain rules, and one of them was that discussing politics was strictly forbidden, biographer Max Boot revealed.
After moving into the White House on January 20, 1981, the former California governor found his new digs too sheltered, describing the situation as giving him a “feeling of isolation like a bird in a gilded cage.”
But the three men were also content to pass the time in silence as they diligently attended to their work.
At the end of the day, they were exhausted from work, and when they headed home for dinner, they were hungry.
“Man, I could eat a house,” LeBlanc told Boot.
However, Nancy Reagan never cooked and limited the amount of food that Ann Allman, the housekeeper, could serve. The menu was “stingy.”
“The petite first lady took care of her figure (she was a size 2) and made sure ‘Ronnie’ did too,” Boot wrote in the The Wall Street Journal.
“The petite first lady took care of her figure (she was a size 2) and made sure ‘Ronnie’ did too,” Boot wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
Despite the grandeur of its surroundings, the interior of the house was austere.
“There was only one plate of food per person, and the men woke up almost as hungry as when they sat down,” he continued.
However, President Reagan never protested or complained, and when dinner was over, everyone would retire to the living room to watch television.
After the show was over, Barnett and LeBlanc would leave the house and, “if they were lucky, the housekeeper would sneak them a few cookies to take back to her trailer,” Boot wrote.
Despite the grandeur of its surroundings, the interior of the house was austere, furnished with Formica countertops and furniture that “looked like it was taken from a flea market.”
However, Nancy Reagan never cooked and limited the amount of food that Ann Allman, the housekeeper, could serve. The menu was “stingy.”
When Reagan was elected president, the house became known as the “Western White House” and a helicopter pad and living quarters for Secret Service agents were added.
When Reagan was elected president, the house became known as the “Western White House” and a helipad and living quarters for Secret Service agents were added.
Because the former governor loved horseback riding so much, the Secret Service had to set up a “riding school” for its agents so they could accompany him.
Whenever the president rode out on horseback, “behind him was a Humvee carrying Secret Service agents, a doctor (and) a military aide with a nuclear balloon,” Boot said.
The biographer also revealed that Reagan’s ranch workers were not afraid to disagree with him.
Barnett, who LeBlanc said was the president’s “best friend,” did not mince words.
“He was the only person I knew who could say, ‘Damn it, Governor, you can’t do it this way,’ with respect to building something if the governor wasn’t doing it correctly,” LeBlanc said.
Although Reagan often rubbed shoulders with the world’s most powerful and elite, Boot revealed that he preferred the humble company of his ranch employees.
LeBlanc told Boot that the president preferred to sweat and be “one of the guys” rather than attend formal events.
“They were, in my opinion, his best friends,” Reagan’s longtime secretary, Kathy Osborne, told biographer.
LeBlanc told Boot that the president preferred to sweat and be “one of the guys” rather than attend formal events.
“No matter what day it was, we were always cutting or building something. I didn’t have any other friends who were down to earth, working and getting dirty,” LeBlanc said.
“He loved getting dirty and working with his hands,” she added.
