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The first lady and postmaster general on Monday unveiled a new stamp honoring former first lady Nancy Reagan, marking the year of what would have been her 100th birthday and making her the sixth first lady to be featured on a U.S. Postal Service stamp.
The first class Forever stamp will be officially issued on July 6 — the 101st anniversary of her birth — ending a year-long commemoration of her centennial and a tribute to Reagan’s life and service. The centennial celebration was delayed one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Reagan, the wife of 40th president Ronald Reagan, served as first lady from 1981 to 1989. The stamp is based on her official White House portrait created by artist Aaron Shikler.
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“There really is nothing that can prepare you to be first lady,” said current first lady Jill Biden on Monday.
“Yet each day is such a blessing to serve the American people with such an incredible platform,” she added. “First Lady Nancy Reagan served the American people with grace. She understood that the role of first lady came with inherent pitfalls and scrutiny. Yet she found the humanity in it all.”
Reagan, who died in 2016, championed causes such as the Foster Grandparent program, supporting Vietnam veterans and prisoners of war and fighting drug and alcohol abuse among youth. She created the “Just say no” slogan and launched a campaign to encourage kids to reject drug use.
“It's a bit ironic that the woman who would never take no for an answer asked an entire nation to ‘Just say no,’” joked Fred Ryan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute.
Ryan called her a “crucial confidante and essential partner” to President Reagan.
“It's no exaggeration to say there would not have been a successful Ronald Reagan were it not for Nancy Reagan,” he said.
The previous first ladies honored with official stamps were Martha Washington, Dolly Madison, Abigail Adams, Eleanor Roosevelt and Lady Bird Johnson.
Reagan’s niece, Ann Peterson, said that “making the White House a home Americans and her husband could be proud of” was key for her and that she treated it with the “deepest respect and consideration.”
“I know she is with us today, hand in hand with her beloved Ronnie, watching as we remember and celebrate her time as first lady — thrilled with the beautiful California-like weather and relieved she has no speaking role, pleased and humbled at the same time by the special honor, but also ready for the spotlight to be moved on to someone else,” Peterson said.
This month, the first individual statue of Reagan will be unveiled at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. The stamp’s day of issue ceremony will be held there on July 6.