Rick Ahearn | |
|---|---|
 Ahearn the day Reagan was shot, March 30, 1981 | |
| Born | Frederick Leonard Ahearn November 6, 1949 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | (aged 74) |
| Education | Boston College (BA) |
| Occupation | Political consultant |
| Political party | Republican (after 1972) |
| Other political affiliations | Democratic (before 1972) |
| Spouse |
Pamela Gardner
(m. 1990; died 2007) |
Frederick Leonard Ahearn (November 6, 1949 – November 14, 2023) was an American political and corporate consultant who served as executive vice president of Potomac Communications Strategies in Alexandria, Virginia. He is best known for his long service as lead advance man for Ronald Reagan, as a candidate in 1979–1980 and for most of his two terms as president; he was standing close to Reagan during his attempted assassination on March 30, 1981. Ahearn was also a senior adviser and planner for the presidential funerals and burials of Reagan (in 2004) and Gerald Ford (in 2006–2007), as well as Jack Kemp (in 2009) and First Lady Nancy Reagan (in 2016). In all, he served five U.S. presidents and six vice presidents, and aided 14 presidential campaigns from 1968 to 2016.