Robert J. Reynolds - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Robert John Reynolds was an American farmer and politician from Petersburg in South Murderkill Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly, and as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Reynolds was born in Smyrna, Delaware, son of Robert Wright and Sallie Gilder Marvel Reynolds. He married Louvenia Riggs and had one child, Byron, and later married Hester Thomas, with whom he had no children. They lived at "Golden Ridge", near Petersburg in South Murderkill Hundred, Kent County, Delaware and were members of the Methodist Church.

Professional and political career

Reynolds was elected to the State House in 1868 and served the 1869/70 session. From 1879 until 1883 he was State Treasurer and in 1890 was elected the Governor of Delaware, defeating Harry A. Richardson, the Republican candidate. He served from January 20, 1891 until January 15, 1895.

During these years free textbooks were first provided to public school students, and Delaware State College was established in Dover.

Death and legacy

Reynolds died at his home near Petersburg at South Murderkill Hundred, Kent County, Delaware and is buried at the Loudon Park Cemetery, in Baltimore, Maryland.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State Representatives have a two year term. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
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|1891-1892
|86th

Delaware General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

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| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Democratic Party (United States)

| |William L. Sirman
|-
|1893-1894
|87th

Delaware General Assembly

|
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

Democratic Party (United States)

| |J. Harvey Whiteman
|-

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
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! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
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|State Representative

Delaware House of Representatives

The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly; the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal amount of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two year term. The Delaware General Assembly...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

Treasurer

A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...

|Executive

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

|1879
|1883
|
|-
|Governor
|Executive

Executive (government)

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

|January 20, 1891
|January 15, 1895
|

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1869-1870
|75th

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

|Gove Saulsbury

Gove Saulsbury

Dr. Gove Saulsbury was an American physician and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, and he served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware....

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|Kent at-large

Kent County, Delaware

Kent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
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!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1890
|Governor
|
| |Robert J. Reynolds
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |17,801
| |51%
|
| |Harry A. Richardson

Harry A. Richardson

Harry Alden Richardson was an American businessman and politician from Dover, in Kent County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, and was U.S. Senator from Delaware.-Early life and family:...

| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

| |17,258
| |49%

Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

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