Birthplaces of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan announce official pairing relationship

The Mayors of Grantham, Lincolnshire, and Tampico, Illinois, have announced that they intend to establish a pairing relationship between their towns, the respective birthplaces of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The Charter Trustees of Grantham met on September 6th to confirm the pairing, and the Mayor of Tampico,

Kristine Hill, at a Regular meeting of the Mayor and Council of Tampico Illinois, confirmed the intention to move forward with the pairing.

Mayor Hill said: “We are delighted to establish relations with Grantham, England, and hope we can emulate the close relationship that President Reagan and Prime Minister Thatcher shared in the 1980s.”

The Mayor of Grantham, Graham Jeal, said: “Whatever we can do to increase the numbers of visitors to
Grantham will be welcomed by the town.”

The pairing relationship will include an exchange of gifts between the two Mayors and increased cooperation between Grantham Museum and the Ronald Reagan Birthplace and Museum to increase visitors. Grantham Community Heritage Association (GCHA), the educational charity which manages Grantham Museum, and the Ronald Reagan Birthplace Museum have confirmed their participation in the exchange.

Malcolm Robbins, Chair of the GCHA, said: “Grantham Museum already welcomes many American visitors who want to learn more about the history of Grantham and, whatever we can do to increase the number who come here will help preserve the museum for future generations.”

Sean Sandrock, of the Ronald Reagan Birthplace and Museum, said: “We very much look forward to welcoming visitors from Grantham to learn more about Ronald Reagan’s life in Tampico.”

Margaret Thatcher (nee Roberts) was born and raised in Grantham and attended Kesteven and Grantham Girls’ School, before gaining a scholarship to study at Oxford University.

Her father Alfred, a grocer, was Mayor from 1945 to 1946.

She was Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990 and was the United Kingdom’s longest serving Prime Minister of the 20

th century. She entered the House of Lords in 1992.

Ronald Reagan was born in Tampico, Iliinois, in an apartment above a bakery on February 6th 1911, graduating from Eureka College in 1932. He served as the Governor of California from 1967–1975 after a successful career in Hollywood, and was the 40th President of the United States of America from 1981–1989.