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{{Infobox Senator | name=Robert Rice Reynolds
|nationality=American
|image name=Robert Rice Reynolds.jpg
|jr/sr=United States Senator
|state=[[North Carolina]]
|party=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|term_start=December 5, 1932
|term_end=January 3, 1945
|preceded=[[Cameron A. Morrison]]
|succeeded=[[Clyde R. Hoey]]
|date of birth={{birth date|1884|6|18|mf=y}}
|place of birth=[[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]], [[North Carolina]]
|date of death={{death date and age|1963|2|13|1884|6|18}}
|place of death=[[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]], [[North Carolina]]
|spouse=
|religion=
}}

'''Robert Rice Reynolds''' ([[June 18]], [[1884]] &ndash; [[February 13]], [[1963]]) was a [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from the state of [[North Carolina]] between 1932 and 1945 and a supporter of [[nationalist]] causes. 

Originally from the town of [[Asheville, North Carolina|Asheville]], Reynolds practiced law there and was elected to serve as [[solicitor]] (prosecuting attorney) for the area (1910-1914).  He ran for [[Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina]] in 1924, losing to [[J. Elmer Long]] in the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[primary election|primary]]. Reynolds first ran for the United States Senate in 1926, but was not successful. He ran again in 1932 and defeated interim Senator [[Cameron Morrison]] in the Democratic primary [[runoff election|runoff]] by nearly two to one after running a particularly nasty, populist campaign, which accused Morrison of being a Communist sympathizer. 

Reynolds had marked [[Fascist]] sympathies during his public career. He was in close contact with [[William Dudley Pelley]]'s [[Silver Legion of America]]. As Senator, Reynolds admired the government of [[National Socialist Germany]] and supported the [[America First Committee]]. On the floor of the Senate, he said:
<blockquote>"The dictators are doing what is best for their people. I say it is high time we found out how they are doing it, and why they are progressing so rapidly. [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]] has solved the unemployment problem. There is no unemployment in Italy. Hitler and [[Benito Mussolini|Mussolini]] have a date with destiny. It is foolish to oppose them, so why not play ball with them?"{{Fact|date=December 2008}}</blockquote>

President [[Franklin Roosevelt]] recruited [[Franklin W. Hancock, Jr.]] to oppose Reynolds in the 1938 Democratic primary, but Reynolds won handily.

On January 31, 1939 Senator Reynolds formed an organization called [[The Vindicators]] and published an eight-page tabloid-size paper called the ''[[The American Vindicator]]''. The group was anti-communist, anti-[[New Deal]] and opposed to admitting Jewish [[political refugee]]s into the country. 

In 1944 the Democratic Party chose former governor [[Clyde R. Hoey]] to seek Reynolds's seat in the primary. As a result, Reynolds did not seek reelection. Hoey won the primary and went on to win the general election in a landslide victory over a Republican opponent.  Reynolds did seek to return to the Senate in 1950, but won only 10% of the vote the Democratic primary, finishing behind [[Frank Porter Graham]] and [[Willis Smith]].  

In January of 1945 Reynolds announced the formation of a third party: the [[American Fascist Party]].

Reynolds had five failed marriages which he considered an impediment for any future presidential run.<ref>''Gerald L. K. Smith, Minister of Hate'', By [[Glen Jeansonne]], page 154</ref>

==See also==
* [[Jacob Thorkelson]]

==Notes==
<small>{{Reflist|2}}</small>

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[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:American nationalist politicians]]
[[Category:American nationalist publishers]]
[[Category:1930's nationalists]]
[[Category:1940's nationalists]]
[[Category:Founders of American political parties]]