Reau E. (Reau Estes) Folk

Born in Brownsville, Tennessee, in 1865, Reau Estes Folk built a career that moved between journalism, politics, and historical writing. Reliable biographical sources describe him as an American journalist and government official, and note that he studied at Wake Forest before returning to Tennessee to read law.

Folk spent years in public service in Tennessee, including work as clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives and later as state treasurer and ex-officio insurance commissioner. Accounts of his career also credit him with helping push reforms in the insurance field, showing the same interest in public affairs that shaped his writing.

As an author, he is remembered chiefly for Battle of New Orleans: Its Real Meaning, a forceful historical work that challenges the idea that the battle was pointless because peace had already been arranged. The book reflects his plainspoken, argumentative style and his desire to make history feel urgent to ordinary readers.