Richard Joshua Reynolds, Jr. (1906-1964), son of the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, was a very successful businessman. He was involved with a variety of business ventures throughout his lifetime, and was also a generous philanthropist and active politician. Reynolds spent much of his fortune on a lavish personal lifestyle, but also founded several charitable organizations and contributed to many more.

Richard Joshua Reynolds, Jr., was born on April 4, 1906, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to Richard Joshua Reynolds and Mary Katherine (Smith) Reynolds. His father had started a tobacco company in the 1870s, which was formally established as the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1890. This company, which is now a part of the RJR-Nabisco Corporation, produced the popular Prince Albert tobacco and Camel cigarettes. By the time Reynolds, Jr., was born, his father was a very wealthy man, and the Reynolds name was well known in...