Martin Anderson | Top Reagan adviser, 78

Martin Anderson, 78, a top domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and author of several books about his life and legacy, has died.

Mr. Anderson died in his sleep Saturday at his home in Portola Valley, Calif., according to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he had been a senior fellow since 1971.

Mr. Anderson combined an academic and writing career with work in the political campaigns and presidential administrations of several Republican presidents, including Reagan, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and George H.W. Bush.

In 1967, he began advising presidential candidate Richard Nixon on domestic policy and especially on ending the military draft and moving to all-volunteer armed forces.

He grew close to Reagan and in 1980 became senior policy adviser during his first presidential campaign. He served Reagan as assistant for policy development and was a major contributor to his economic and missile defense plans.

- AP