R. J. Reynolds, Jr.

Richard Joshua Reynolds Jr, better known as 'Dick' Reynolds,[1] (April 4, 1906 - Dec 14, 1964) was an American entrepreneur and the son of R.J. Reynolds, founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.[2][3]

Historical Contributions

Dick Reynolds was an American businessman, politician, activist and philanthropist.

His political contributions included being Treasurer of the National Democratic Party under President Roosevelt and Mayor of Winston-Salem, NC. As a businessman he acted as President of R.J.Reynolds Tobacco Co. and was an integral part in creating Delta Airlines where he was considered one of the fathers of the American Aviation industry. In personal endeavors he was an internationally acclaimed yachtsman, pilot, aviator, and philanthropist. His philanthropic contributions were the backbone of the southern economy during the Great Depression.[4]

Family Life

Dick Reynolds had four sons with his first wife, socialite Elizabeth McCaw Dillard: Richard Joshua Reynolds III, John Dillard Reynolds, Zachary Taylor Reynolds,[5][6][7] and William Neil Reynolds. From his second marriage to the Hollywood movie star, Marianne O'Brian, his sons were: the activist Patrick Cleveland Reynolds, and Michael Randolph Reynolds.[1] His third marriage was to Mrs. Muriel Greenough.[8] His first three marriages ended in divorce. His fourth marriage, in 1961, was to Dr. Annemarie Schmitt.[8]

Death

Dick Reynolds was diagnosed with emphysema in 1960 and died four years later in Switzerland.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schnakenberg, Heidi. Kid Carolina: R. J. Reynolds Jr., a Tobacco Fortune, and the Mysterious Death of a Southern Icon.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Gillespie, Michele. Katharine and R.J. Reynolds: Partners of Fortune in the Making of the New South (University of Georgia Press; 2012) 381 pages; dual biography of R.J. and his much younger wife (1880-1924)
  4. ↑ Patrick Reynolds; Tom Shachtman (1989), The Gilded Leaf: Triumph, Tragedy, and Tobacco: Three Generations of the R. J. Reynolds Family and Fortune, Boston: Little, Brown and Co.
  5. ↑ "The Tobacco King" Burge, David. Garage Magazine. April 2009.
  6. ↑ "iowahawk: The Cigarette City Flash". Iowahawk.typepad.com. 1979-09-04. Retrieved 2013-04-28.
  7. ↑ http://www.zachreynolds.com
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 R. J. Reynolds Jr., Tobacco Heir, Dies, New York City: The New York Times, 1964, retrieved 23 November 2014

External links