author
Robert Rice Reynolds
1884–1963
A flamboyant North Carolina senator known as “Buncombe Bob,” he mixed New Deal politics with a fiercely isolationist, nationalist public voice that made him one of the more controversial figures of his era.
1 Audiobook
Wanderlust
by Robert Rice Reynolds
About the author
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1884, Robert Rice Reynolds trained as a lawyer and built his early career in western North Carolina before moving into state and national politics. He served as a Democratic U.S. senator from North Carolina from 1933 to 1945.
Reynolds became widely known for his colorful style and showman’s instinct, which helped make him a memorable public figure. Over time, he also became known for hard-line isolationism and extreme nationalist rhetoric, especially in the years leading up to World War II.
Today he is remembered less for lasting legislative achievements than for the mix of popularity, controversy, and political theater that defined his career. His life offers a revealing glimpse of Depression-era and prewar American politics in the South.