J. Sargeant Reynolds

Julian Sargeant Reynolds (June 30, 1936 – June 13, 1971) (nicknamed "Sarge") of Richmond, Virginia was a teacher, businessman, and Democratic politician. He served in both the House and Senate of the Virginia General Assembly and served as 30th Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia under Governor A. Linwood Holton, Jr.. He died of an inoperable brain tumor at age 34, while in office as Virginia's Lieutenant Governor.

Early and family life

Reynolds was born into wealth in New York City, the second son of Richard Samuel Reynolds, Jr. (president and CEO of Reynolds Metal Company), and Virginia McDonald Sargeant Reynolds. His grandfather had invented Reynolds Wrap and founded the metals company. His great-grandfather A.D. Reynolds of Bristol, Tennessee had been a successful tobacco farmer and brother of Richard Joshua Reynolds, who founded the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company.

Sarge Reynolds was educated in Richmond, Virginia, graduating from St. Christopher's School in 1947, and from Woodberry Forest School in Orange, Virginia in 1954. He then went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend the Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania. In 1958 he graduated 9th in his class of 356.^[1]

He married the former Elizabeth (Betsy) Weir Veeneman of Louisville, Kentucky. Before their divorce, they had four children: Virginia (Ginny) Weir, J. Sargeant, Jr., Jeanne Elizabeth (Liz) and David Parham Reynolds II (who died less than 2 months after birth). Reynolds then married Mary Ballou Handy Stettinius from Lynchburg, Virginia. They had one son, Richard Roland Reynolds.

Career

In 1958 Reynolds started his business career in the Market Research Department of the family's Reynolds Metals Company. In 1961 he became Assistant Treasurer and in 1965 he became Executive Vice-President of the Reynolds Aluminum Credit Corporation. He also taught economics at the University of Richmond to help him overcome shyness.

Political Career

Reynolds began his political career with the Young Democratic Club, as the Byrd Organization struggled with the end of Massive Resistance. Reynolds first ran for elective office in 1965 and was elected as one of eight delegates for Richmond. In that election after the reapportionment required by Davis v. Mann as well as the Civil Rights Act of 1965, incumbents George F. Allen Jr., T. Coleman Andrews Jr., Harold H. Dervishian, Junie L. Bradshaw and Edward E. Lane won re-election, and Reynolds, E. B. Pendleton Jr. and T. Dix Sutton replaced fellow Democrat Fred G. Pollard (who became Lieutenant Governor) as well as Richmond's first elected Republicans in years--Louis S. Herrink Jr. (who moved to King George and S. Strother Smith Jr. (each of whom had been elected in 1963 and proved one-termers).^[2]

Two years later, Reynolds ran for the Virginia State Senate from District 30, again representing Richmond City, Senator FitzGerald Bemiss having retired. Reynolds and incumbent fellow-Democrat Edward E. Willey thus became Richmond's two Senators.^[3] In the General Assembly, Reynolds advocated establishing the Virginia Community College System. In the 1967 election at which Reynolds moved up to the state senate, among Richmond's eight delegates, half changed. Thomas P. Bryan, Ernest W. Farley Jr., William Ferguson Reid and Richmond's first woman mayor, Republican Eleanor Parker Sheppart replaced Andrews, Dervishian, Reynolds and Sutton.^[4]

Virginia's Democratic Party nominated Reynolds to run for Lieutenant Governor against pro-education Republican H. Dunlop Dawbarn in 1969, which proved to be a near-landslide year for Republicans. The Republicans concentrated their efforts on electing Richard Nixon President and Linwood Holton Virginia's governor (who outpolled Democrat William C. Battle), and succeeded with many other offices on the ticket. However, Reynolds broke the tide, polling 54% of the vote for lieutenant governor compared to Dawbarn's 42%, thus winning the 3-way race.^[5] In the 1969 general election, fellow Democrat L. Douglas Wilder (who would later become Virginia's first African-American governor) won election to represent Richmond in the state senate alongside Willey, thus replacing Reynolds.^[6]

Death and Legacy

Shortly after taking office, Reynolds was diagnosed as having an inoperable brain tumor. Weakened by attempted treatments of the tumor in New York city, Reynolds succumbed to pneumonia. Proud of his Virginia heritage, Reynolds asked to be buried at his great-grandfather's boyhood home. Dying in office, he was accorded a state funeral before being buried in accordance with that wish.^[7] J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, which serves Henrico County and metropolitan Richmond was named in his honor after his death in 1971.

Heritage

The aluminum Reynolds family and the tobacco Reynolds family were related through Hardin William and Nancy Jane Cox Reynolds of Critz, Virginia, in the eastern section of Patrick County. Their oldest son, Abram David (A.D.), was the father of Richard Samuel (R.S.) Reynolds, Sr., who founded the Reynolds Metals Co., and the inventor of Reynolds Wrap. A.D. was the older brother of Richard Joshua (R.J.) who, along with another brother William Neal and their bookkeeper, Henry Roan, founded the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. A.D. Reynolds was also a successful tobacco farmer in Bristol, Tennessee.

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. Hardin, 3 of his sons, 5 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren are listed in A Classification of American Wealth, History and Genealogy of the Wealthy Families of America (Encyclopedia of American Wealth). His grandchild J. Sargeant Reynolds III is a Young Minister and Philanthropist, author of the book "The Truth behind a Lie: The Road to Commitment," and goes by the pen name Jess Reynolds.

References

See also

The book, "Sarge Reynolds - In the Time of His Life" by Andy McCutcheon and Michael P. Gleason, published in 1996. Both men worked for and knew Sargeant Reynolds personally.

"Sarge Reynolds, a documentary" paid for by the Richard S. Reynolds Foundation (his grandfather) in cooperation with the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, 2006.

External links

• J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College

Lieutenant Governors of Virginia
Leake McComas Jackson Montague S Price (disputed) Polsley (disputed) Cowper Lewis Marye Withers Thomas Walker Lewis Massey Tyler Kent Echols Willard Ellyson Buchanan West J Price Holt Tuck Collins Stephens Godwin Pollard Reynolds Howell Dalton Robb Davis Wilder Beyer Hager Kaine Bolling Northam