Richard Samuel Reynolds Sr. founded the U.S. Foil Company.

Early life

Reynolds was born on August 15, 1881, in

Madison County, North Carolina Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 21,193. Its county seat is Marshall. Madison County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area. History ...

. He was the nephew of leading tobacco producer

R.J. Reynolds Richard Joshua Reynolds (July 20, 1850 – July 29, 1918) was an American businessman and founder of the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. The son of a tobacco farmer and major slaveowner, he worked for his father and attended Emory & Henry Coll ...

and the son of Major Abraham David Reynolds (August 13, 1847 – September 1925). He married Julia Louise Parham on December 21, 1904. Reynolds was the father of Richard S. Reynolds Jr. (1909–1969), who was the founder of Reynolds & Co., a brokerage firm that merged with Dean Witter & Co. in 1978 to form Dean Witter Reynolds.

Career

Reynolds left the University of Virginia in 1903 to join 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 ...

, working for his uncle, who had founded the company. Reynolds was in part responsible for the company's switch from the production of chewing to smoking tobacco and the launch of

Camel cigarettes Camel is an American brand of cigarettes, currently owned and manufactured by the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in the United States and by Japan Tobacco outside the U.S. Most recently Camel cigarettes contain a blend of Turkish tobacco and Vi ...

. In 1912, Reynolds left R.J. Reynolds to go into business for himself. Shortly after World War I, Reynolds 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 ...

. Among the company's early partners were R.J. Reynolds and the British-American Tobacco Company. The company's original business was to roll tin and lead foil for cigarette packaging. Among other innovations, Reynolds devised a moisture-preserving tobacco tin. Later the switch to aluminum foil was made. In 1947, his company introduced Reynolds Wrap.

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 company in the United States 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. ...

, company was bought 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.

References

1881 births 1955 deaths American manufacturing businesspeople R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company people Reynolds family People from Madison County, North Carolina {{1880s-US-business-bio-stub