author
Robert Rice Reynolds
1884–1963
A flamboyant North Carolina politician known as “Buncombe Bob,” he rose from a small-town law practice to the U.S. Senate and became one of the state’s most colorful and controversial public figures. His career traced a striking arc from early New Deal support to fierce nationalism and isolationism in the years before World War II.
1 Audiobook
Wanderlust
by Robert Rice Reynolds
About the author
Born in Asheville, North Carolina, in 1884, Robert Rice Reynolds studied at the University of North Carolina and later practiced law in his hometown. Before reaching national office, he served as a local prosecutor and built a reputation as a lively campaigner with a strong gift for attracting attention.
Reynolds served as a Democratic U.S. senator from North Carolina from the early 1930s until 1945. At first he was associated with New Deal politics, but he became far better known for his outspoken isolationism, hard-line nationalism, and increasingly extreme rhetoric as tensions grew in Europe.
Remembered by supporters as a magnetic showman and by critics as a deeply divisive figure, Reynolds remains an important window into the political fears and populist currents of his era. His story reflects both the drama of Depression- and wartime politics and the dangers of demagoguery in American public life.