Richard Joshua Reynolds (July 20, 1850 – July 29, 1918) was an American businessman and founder of the
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...
.
The son of a
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
farmer and major slaveowner, he worked for his father and attended
Emory & Henry College from 1868 to 1870, eventually graduating from
Bryant & Stratton Business College in
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
.
He sold his share of the family business in 1874 and moved south to
Winston (now Winston-Salem),
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
, to start his own tobacco company. Reynolds was a savvy businessman and a hard worker, and he quickly became one of the wealthiest citizens of Winston-Salem; eventually, he was the wealthiest person in the state of North Carolina.
He died in 1918 of
pancreatic cancer
Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of ...
.
Biography
Early life
Reynolds was born on July 20, 1850, at
Rock Spring Plantation near Critz,
Patrick County, Virginia
Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valley ...
. He was the son of Nancy Jane Cox Reynolds and Hardin Reynolds, a tobacco farmer. He grew fond of the tobacco business by helping his father.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
In 1874, Reynolds sold his interest in the family tobacco business to his father and left Patrick County to start his own tobacco company. He needed a railroad hub for his business, and since there was not one in Patrick County, he went to the nearest one, Winston, North Carolina.
Winston and Salem were separate towns at that time. By 1875, Reynolds had established his tobacco manufacturing operation, and in the first year, it produced 150,000 pounds of tobacco.
Although Winston-Salem alone had 15 other tobacco companies, Reynolds was able to distinguish himself through his business acumen and innovative techniques, including adding
saccharin
Saccharin, also called saccharine, benzosulfimide, or E954, or used in saccharin sodium or saccharin calcium forms, is a non-nutritive artificial sweetener. Saccharin is a sultam that is about 500 times sweeter than sucrose, but has a bitter or ...
to chewing tobacco.
By the 1890s, production had increased to millions of pounds annually.

Reynolds' younger brother, William Neal, was attending Trinity College (now
Duke University
Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...
) and worked part-time for him. Mr. Will, as he was known, began as a leaf-hanger and quickly mastered all facets of the operation. After leaving Trinity College, he managed tobacco purchasing. In 1888, Reynolds formed a formal partnership with Mr. Will and the company bookkeeper, Henry Roan. Reynolds served as President with 75% ownership, and Mr. Will and Henry Roan divided the remainder. The
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...
was chartered as a corporation by the state of North Carolina on February 11, 1890. In 1892, Reynolds' net worth had grown to $200,000.
In 1913, Reynolds developed a great innovation: the packaged cigarette.
Most tobacco users who smoked cigarettes preferred to roll their own, and there was thought to be no national market for pre-packaged cigarettes.
Reynolds worked to develop a flavor he thought would be more appealing than past products, creating the
Camel cigarette, so named because it used
Turkish tobacco.
Reynolds undercut competitors on the cost of the cigarettes, and within a year, he had sold 425 million packs of Camels.
By the time of his death, Reynolds had become the wealthiest man in North Carolina by far; his $66,000 paid annually in taxes was double the next-highest taxpayer.
R. J. Reynolds had grown to encompass 121 buildings in Winston-Salem.
After his death in 1918, his brother assumed control of the company; board members would wait 41 years before hanging another portrait beside Reynolds' in the R. J. Reynolds board room.
Family and personal life
There are rumors within both black and white Winston families' oral traditions that Reynolds was the father of numerous illegitimate children. Some of the company brands such as Annie, Lula, and Lottie were purportedly named for Reynolds' girlfriends during his lifetime. Reynolds did in fact have at least one illegitimate child before his marriage late in life, named John Neal (1887-1920). Neal was white and grew up at an orphanage in
Oxford, North Carolina
Oxford is a town in Granville County, North Carolina, United States, with a population of 8,628 as of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Granville County.
History
The town's history dates to 1761, when local legislator Samuel Benton bui ...
. Reynolds had some amount of involvement with Neal, spending time with him and supporting him financially during his life; RJR's extant account books show purchases for clothing and education expenses for Neal. In the 1900 census, RJR's brother and sister-in-law, William Neal and Kate Bitting, are listed as the twelve year-old John Neal's adoptive parents, and he lived with for an undetermined time after leaving the orphanage. Additionally
Neal died of pneumonia in 1920 while living in Omaha, Nebraska and working as division managing salesman for the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Neal is buried in the William Neal and Kate Bitting plot in Salem Cemetery, Winston-Salem.
Reynolds was the most eligible bachelor for many years in Winston-Salem
and married
Katharine Smith (November 17, 1880 – May 23, 1923), who was 30 years his junior, on February 27, 1905, in
Mount Airy, North Carolina
Mount Airy is a city in Surry County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 10,676. As of 2020, the city is the most populous municipality in Surry County. Mount Airy is located within t ...
. She was the daughter of Zachary Taylor Smith (February 19, 1847 – June 13, 1938) and Mary Susan Jackson (January 21, 1855 – April 17, 1926).

Reynolds and Katharine's father, Zachary, were first cousins, and Reynolds had known Katharine since she was a young girl.
She earned a degree in
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
and went to work as a Reynolds
secretary
A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...
, at one point winning $1,000 in a company-sponsored contest.
Reynolds joked that he married Katharine to get his money back.
Their marriage was very happy, and Reynolds wrote to Katharine saying he was very glad he waited so long to marry. Katharine Reynolds urged her husband to shorten employees' work hours and provide a lunchroom, schools and nursery services for them.
The Reynolds' children were:
*
Richard Joshua Reynolds, Jr. (April 4, 1906 – December 14, 1964) who married Elizabeth McCaw "Blitz" Dillard (1909 – Dec. 1961), Marianne O'Brien (d. 1985), Muriel Maud Marston Laurence Greenough (December 28, 1915 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada – 1980), and Annemarie Schmitt (b. 1932 – ).
RJ Jr and Blitz had four sons, Richard Joshua "Josh" Reynolds III, John Dillard Reynolds, Zachary Taylor Reynolds, and William Neal Reynolds II. RJ Jr. and Marianne had two sons, Michael Randolph Reynolds (July 13, 1947 – November 3, 2004) and
Patrick Reynolds, who publicly took a stand as a tobaccofree advocate (b. December 2, 1948 – ).
RJ Jr and Annemarie had one daughter two days after RJ Jr died, Irene Sabine Reynolds (b. December 16, 1964 – )
*
Mary Katharine Reynolds (August 8, 1908 – July 17, 1953) who married Charles Henry Babcock (September 22, 1899 – December 13, 1967)
* Nancy Susan Reynolds (February 5, 1910 – January 1985) who married Henry Walker Bagley (August 6, 1900 in
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
– April 19, 1983) and Gilbert Verney. Nancy and Henry had three daughters, Jane Bagley Lehman (married to
Orin Lehman
Orin Allan Lehman (January 24, 1920 – February 22, 2008) was an American public servant who served as New York State’s longest-serving commissioner of New York State Office of Parks and Recreation.
Early life
Lehman was born to a Jewish ...
), Susan Bagley Bloom, and Anne Bagley Grant, and one son, Smith Bagley, cell phone business executive and social activist.
*
Zachary Smith Reynolds
Zachary Smith Reynolds (November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1932) was an American amateur aviator and youngest son of millionaire businessman R. J. Reynolds. The son of one of the richest men in the United States at the time, Reynolds was to inherit Uni ...
(November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1932) who married Anne Ludlow Cannon (August 31, 1901 – June 21, 1961) in
York, South Carolina
York is a city in and the county seat of York County, South Carolina, United States. The population was approximately 6,985 at the 2000 census and up to 7,736 at the 2010 census. York is located approximately southwest of Charlotte, North Ca ...
, November 16, 1929, and
Libby Holman
Elizabeth Lloyd Holman (née Holzman; May 23, 1904 – June 18, 1971) was an American socialite, actress, singer, and activist.
Early life
Elizabeth Lloyd Holman was born on May 23, 1904, in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of a lawyer and stockbr ...
in
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is the largest city in Monroe County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The population was 20,462 at the 2020 census. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but the two are administered autonomously. M ...
, on Sunday, November 29, 1931.
Reynolds lived above the factory floor for many years. When he married, he lived with his family alongside other R. J. Reynolds executives on Fifth Street in Winston-Salem until 1917, when they moved to
Reynolda House, a estate on the outskirts of town that also housed a village where Reynolds workers could live.
The grounds featured a
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...
, schools, a chapel, a blacksmith shop and a
greenhouse
A greenhouse is a structure that is designed to regulate the temperature and humidity of the environment inside. There are different types of greenhouses, but they all have large areas covered with transparent materials that let sunlight pass an ...
.
At Reynolda House, Katharine brought farmers together to learn the latest scientific advances in farming.
Katharine offered evening literacy classes to workers.
She also commissioned construction of a nine-hole golf course.
Reynolds died in 1918, and his wife, although 30 years younger, died six years later. They are buried in
Salem Cemetery in Winston-Salem. Their children were then raised by their uncle, Reynolds' brother
William Neal Reynolds, and his wife Kate Bitting Reynolds.
Dick Reynolds became a
Democratic politician, mayor of Winston-Salem, and treasurer of the
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
.
Reynolds's grandson,
Patrick Reynolds, became an anti-smoking activist following several family deaths from smoking and began the Foundation for a Smoke-Free America.
Political views
In 1884, Reynolds served as a city commissioner in Winston-Salem. Reynolds established progressive working conditions in his factory, with shorter hours and higher pay. He also signed a petition for a
property tax
A property tax (whose rate is expressed as a percentage or per mille, also called ''millage'') is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or Wealth t ...
to pay for
public schools and voted to approve an
income tax
An income tax is a tax imposed on individuals or entities (taxpayers) in respect of the income or profits earned by them (commonly called taxable income). Income tax generally is computed as the product of a tax rate times the taxable income. Tax ...
.
Lasting influence of Reynolds and his family
Reynolds was generous with his workers, building schools and houses for them on his property. He also granted endowments to
Guilford College
Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers). Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for ...
, the Oxford Orphan Asylum, and the Baptist Orphanage, in addition to many other charities and churches in the Winston-Salem community.
He became the first Southern man to establish a hospital serving
African Americans
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...
in the South, the Slater Hospital.
He started a
savings and loan
A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. While the terms "S&L" and "thrift" are mainly used in the United States, ...
, served on the town board of Winston-Salem, and began a
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organisation based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It has nearly 90,000 staff, some 920,000 volunteers and 12,000 branches w ...
and an
opera house
An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...
.
Reynolds donated money to the establishment of the Slater Industrial School, which would later become
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.
History
Winston-Salem State University was founded as "Slater Industrial A ...
.
In 1923, the newly formed Reynolds Foundation fully financed the construction of Nancy Reynolds Memorial School built at the birthplace of his and Will Reynolds' mother, Nancy Jane Cox Reynolds, in the Brown Mountain community of
Stokes County. In 1930, the Reynolds Foundation paid for the construction of two wings adjoining the original building. During the Depression, Will Reynolds covered the costs for an additional month of school in order for Nancy Reynolds to become accredited. In the 1950s, the foundation financed and built the school's freestanding gymnasium and built and equipped its large agricultural building. A memorial gift that still provides for the school today is a $25,000 endowment set up after the death of Kate Bitting Reynolds, Will's wife, with the yearly dividends to be used solely for the upkeep of grounds, exterior beautification projects and playground equipment. The endowment's total value is now more than three-quarters of a million dollars and easily supports its intended use.
When Reynolds died, North Carolina's governor
Thomas Walter Bickett
Thomas Walter Bickett (February 28, 1869December 28, 1921) was the 54th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1917 to 1921. He was born in Monroe, North Carolina.
Bickett was a graduate of Wake Forest College. Prior to being elect ...
said: "Therefore, the greatest
eulogy
A eulogy (from , ''eulogia'', Classical Greek, ''eu'' for "well" or "true", ''logia'' for "words" or "text", together for "praise") is a speech or writing in praise of a person, especially one who recently died or retired, or as a term o ...
that can be offered would be to refer to his life of rugged honesty, his wide usefulness and his kindly dealings with his fellowmen, which he himself deemed his first duty."
Katharine Reynolds' philanthropy
R. J. Reynolds and his family played a large part in the public life and history of the city of Winston-Salem. After his death, his widow Katharine Smith Reynolds continued his
philanthropic
Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...
activities. She contributed land and funds to establish The
Richard J. Reynolds High School
Richard J. Reynolds High School now the Richard J. Reynolds Magnet School for the Visual and Performing Arts (often simply R. J. Reynolds High School or Reynolds) is a high school in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools located in Winston-S ...
and the
R. J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium (both listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
). Construction of the school and auditorium began in 1919 under the direction of architect
Charles Barton Keen, and finished in 1924. Another memorial to Reynolds, an equine statue, sits on Winston-Salem City Hall Grounds in downtown Winston-Salem. A memorial to Katharine Reynolds, a 20-foot-tall
obelisk
An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...
, now sits on the grounds of the Richard J. Reynolds High School and R.J. Reynolds Memorial Auditorium (it was originally placed on a site in Reynolda Village, around
Reynolda Church, but was rescued from demolition and moved to the site on the school grounds).
Children's philanthropy
The Reynolds' estate,
Reynolda House, was completed just prior to Reynolds' death in 1918 and was later donated by his daughter, Mary Reynolds Babcock, for use as an art museum. At the age of 28, Mary inherited $30 million and became one of the world's richest women.
She contributed to the
William Neal Reynolds Coliseum in
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, in honor of her uncle.
Her will gave $525,000 for a dormitory at
Salem College
Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational esta ...
in Winston-Salem.
The
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was formed by Mary Reynolds Babcock and her siblings to honor their brother, Reynolds' son
Zachary, whose mysterious death at the age of 20 at Reynolda is still disputed to this day as murder or suicide.
The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation to this day gives away millions annually in the
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and ...
region. Babcock and her husband Charles also donated land and funds to start a country club from the grounds of Reynolda in 1939, allowing members to sign up for $1 a year while she was alive.
An area of of the grounds of the Reynolda estate was donated to
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University (WFU) is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The R ...
, which then relocated from
Wake Forest, North Carolina
Wake Forest is a town in Wake and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it lies just north of the state capital, Raleigh. At the 2020 census, the population was 47,601, up from 30,117 in ...
, to Winston-Salem in 1956 and was given $350,000 annually from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in exchange for the move. The Reynolds family is honored through many names on the Wake Forest campus, including
Reynolda Hall; the university's library, the
Z. Smith Reynolds Library; William Neal Reynolds Gymnasium; along with a dormitory named for Mary Reynolds Babcock.
Her husband, Charles Babcock, is honored by Wake Forest through the Charles Babcock School of Business Administration.
The school was begun through $500,000 each in gifts from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and Nancy Susan Reynolds.
Winston-Salem's airport, the
Smith Reynolds Airport, is named for Zachary Smith Reynolds.
Reynolds' older son, Dick, also donated acres of land and funds to the county for the establishment of a golf course and public park in 1939, called Reynolds Park.
Its opening in 1940 marked the first time that the Winston-Salem public had access to swimming pools, tennis courts, and a golf course—previously, one had to be a member of a private club to use these types of facilities.
Almost a century after her father founded the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, Nancy Susan Reynolds Bagley Verney, his youngest daughter and last surviving child, decided to give back to the region of her father's boyhood. In 1969, she deeded
Virginia Tech
The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
of Rock Spring Plantation. In 1980, she deeded them another , where Reynolds' childhood home and a continuing education center stand. She created an endowment of $1.7 million to provide cultural programming to the surrounding community, to run a forestry research center on the site, and to fund a scholarship program for Patrick County high school students. She financed this in part by selling her Quarry Farm, designed by architect Frank Forster, in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...
, to actor
Frank Gorshin
Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on television variety and talk shows, including '' The Ed Sullivan Show'', '' Tonight Starring Steve Allen' ...
in 1977 for $650,000
He would later sell it in 1980 to
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...
formerly of the
Supremes
The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
. She also headed the effort to turn the Virginia farmstead where her father was raised into a historic site. Now called the
Reynolds Homestead, it is a State and
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...
listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. As a Continuing Education Center of Virginia Tech, it offers a variety of programs and classes for all ages, all open to the public and many for free. It is open for tours, April through October, Monday through Saturday.
Family's companies
Descendants of Hardin William Reynolds have influenced the economic and cultural growth of the U.S., particularly in the South, through their business successes and philanthropy.
In 1919, his nephew,
Richard S. Reynolds Sr., founded the U.S. Foil Company in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
, supplying tin-lead wrappers to cigarette and candy companies. In 1924, he bought the maker of
Eskimo Pies (which were foil-wrapped) and four years later he purchased Robertshaw Thermostat, Fulton Sylphon, and part of Beechnut Foil, adding the companies to U.S. Foil to form Reynolds Metals. After realizing the limitations of the tin and lead used in his company's products, in 1926 he added aluminum to the line. The company began using aluminum foil as a packaging material in 1926, and in 1947 they introduced
Reynolds Wrap. Sold worldwide, it transformed food storage.
Reynolds Metals
Reynolds Group Holdings was a New Zealand–based packaging company with roots in the former Reynolds Metals Company, which was the second-largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third-largest in the world. Reynolds Metals was acqu ...
was the second-largest
aluminum
Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...
company in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and the third-largest in the world. The
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
-based company was acquired by
Alcoa
Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America") is an American industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary alu ...
in 2000.
See also
*
Arca Foundation
References
Further reading
* 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)
* Mayer, Barbara. ''Reynolda: A History of an American Country House'' 1997. Reynolda Museum of American Art. U.S.A
*
* Tilley, Nannie M. ''The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company'' (2009); scholarly business history
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, R.J.
1850 births
1918 deaths
People from Patrick County, Virginia
American manufacturing businesspeople
American tobacco industry executives
American chief executives
Bryant and Stratton College alumni
Virginia Tech people
Businesspeople from Winston-Salem, North Carolina
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Reynolds family
North Carolina city council members
19th-century American politicians
American company founders
19th-century American philanthropists
19th-century American businesspeople
Burials at Salem Cemetery (Winston-Salem, North Carolina)