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Craig Shirley

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Craig Shirley
Shirley in 2016
Born
Craigan Paul Shirley

(1956-09-24)September 24, 1956(age 67)
Syracuse, New York,U.S.
Alma materSpringfield College
OccupationAuthor
SpouseZorine Shirley
Children4
Websitewww.craigshirley.com

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

Life and career

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Youth and education

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Shirley is the second son of Edward Bruce Shirley and Barbara Cone Shirley. His father was a founding member of theNew York State Conservative Party.[4]In 1964, he went door to door with his parents, campaigning for presidential candidateBarry Goldwater.And, in 1978, Shirley graduated fromSpringfield CollegeinSpringfield, Massachusetts,where he majored in history and political science.[5]

Career

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In the 1970s, he was on the staff of SenatorJacob Javitsof New York, theJohn N. Daltoncampaign for governor ofVirginia,[6]and SenatorGordon Humphreyof New Hampshire.[7]Ronald Reagancame intoNew Hampshireto campaign for Humphrey, where Shirley first met Governor Reagan.[8]

In 1980, he ran an independent expenditure campaign in support of formerCalifornia governorRonald 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 inNew Hampshire,South Carolina,Floridaand 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 theRepublican National Committeein 1982. During the 1984 presidential campaign, Shirley was the Director of Communications for theNational Conservative Political Action Committee,America's largest independentpolitical 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 theNicaraguan Contras,support for the Strategic Defensive Initiative, support for theAfghanistanMujahideen, support forJonas Savimbi'sUNITA,and support for theTax 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, thepolitical action committeeofVice PresidentGeorge H. W. Bushand worked onGeorge H. W. Bush's 1988 presidential bid.[12]In 1991, Shirley ran a major advertising and public affairs campaign supporting President Bush andOperation Desert Storm,later represented the Embassy of the State ofKuwaitand was placed in charge of public relations for an international conference on democracy hosted in Prague by PresidentVáclav Havelof thenCzechoslovakia.For a short time, Shirley andDavid Keenepartnered 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 byEnronto 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 theReagan Ranch[17]and has lectured at theReagan Library.[18]He was chosen in 2005 bySpringfield Collegeas their Outstanding Alumnus[19]and has been named the Visiting Reagan Scholar atEureka 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

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  • Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All(Thomas Nelson, 2005)[22]
  • Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America(Intercollegiate Studies Institute,2009)[23]
  • December 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World(Thomas Nelson, 2011)[24]
  • Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan(Thomas Nelson, 2015)[25]
  • Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980(HarperCollins, 2017)
  • Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative(Thomas Nelson, 2017)[26]
  • Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother(Harper Collins 2019)[27]
  • April 1945: The Hinge of History(Thomas Nelson, 2022)[28]

His bookDecember 1941: 31 Days That Changed America and Saved the World(2011), was aNew York Timesbestseller.[29]His book,Last Act,was named best narrative in the non-fiction category byUSA Book Newsfor 2015. His bookRendezvous with Destinyabout the 1980 Reagan campaign was named as one of the five best campaign books of all time by theWall Street Journal.

Personal life

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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]

References

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  1. ^"Green, Max: Files, 1985-1988"(PDF).Reagan Library. p. 143.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
  2. ^"Contributions Arranged By Type And Recipient".Federal Election Commission.RetrievedMarch 29,2024.
  3. ^"Craig Shirley".HarperCollins.Retrieved2021-02-20.
  4. ^"Edward Shirley Dies In Hospital".The Post-Standard.Syracuse, New York. March 12, 1977.Retrieved2015-04-08.
  5. ^"Springfield College History Program News | Springfield College".springfield.edu.Retrieved2022-01-17.
  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".Retrieved2015-04-26.
  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 fromthe originalon 2015-04-28.Retrieved2015-04-25.
  10. ^Dillin, John."Ad campaigns on behalf of candidates are rough-and-tumble".The Christian Science Monitor.
  11. ^"About Us".Retrieved2015-04-26.
  12. ^"Craig Shirley".Retrieved2015-04-18.
  13. ^"Craig Shirley".Retrieved2015-04-18.
  14. ^Drinkard, Jim."Fronts in Lobbying Edging Grass Roots".Associated Press.
  15. ^"Officers".Retrieved2015-04-27.
  16. ^"Mission".Retrieved2015-04-27.
  17. ^"Reagan Ranch Board of Governors".Retrieved2012-08-08.
  18. ^"Lecture with author Craig Shirley"(web).craigshirley.com.RetrievedAugust 9,2012.
  19. ^"Lecture and Book Signing with Craig Shirley".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-04-28.Retrieved2015-04-26.
  20. ^"Ronald Reagan".Retrieved2015-04-23.
  21. ^"EC elects trustees, officers".Retrieved2015-04-22.
  22. ^Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign that Started it All.Thomas Nelson. 2010.ISBN978-1-59555-342-3.
  23. ^Shirley, Craig (2011).Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America.ISBN978-1-935191-93-3.
  24. ^December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World.Thomas Nelson. 2011.ISBN978-1-59555-457-4.
  25. ^Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan.Thomas Nelson. 2015.ISBN978-1-59555-534-2.
  26. ^Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative.Thomas Nelson. 2017.ISBN978-1-59555-448-2.
  27. ^Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother.Harper. 2019.ISBN978-006245651-9.
  28. ^April 1945: The Hinge of History.Thomas Nelson. 2022.ISBN978-140021708-3.
  29. ^"April 1945".Marketing Pages.Retrieved2023-10-17.
  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.Retrieved2023-01-19.
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