Platt lectures on one of North Carolina’s most colorful senators

Dr. Rorin Platt, associate professor of history at Campbell University, explored the life of U.S. Senator Robert Rice Reynolds in a recent article, “Robert Rice Reynolds: Atypical Tar Heel Politician and Isolationist.” Platt presented his research at the Lunch and Learn lecture held Wednesday, Sept. 19.A U.S. senator from 1933-1945, the flamboyant Reynolds defied the conventional portrait of a southern politician because, “He was a non-racist, populist, New Dealer, ardent isolationist, ultranationalist, womanizing foe of prohibition and immigration,” Platt said.Born into a family of Revolutionary War heroes, politicians and landowners in Asheville, Reynolds attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill but left without a degree. He attended lectures at UNC law school, but was never enrolled. Never-the-less, Reynolds was admitted to the North Carolina Bar and practiced law with his brother in Buncombe County before launching a career in politics.Loyal to FDR’s New Deal, which he believed saved the country from economic collapse and provided jobs for his constituents; Reynolds supported Social Security the WPA, TVA, and the AAA which raised tobacco prices. “He was a Kansian redistributionist eager to tax the rich,” said Platt.Reynolds eventually changed his position on domestic policy, but remained steadfast to his views on foreign policy. He voted against membership in the United Nations in 1919 and 1921, well before he entered the U.S. Senate, and he was the only southern senator to vote against FDR’s Lend-Lease plan in 1941. Reynolds, who blamed London, not Tokyo for the Dec. 7th attack on Pearl Harbor, later reversed himself and voted to declare war on the Axis powers. He died in 1963.A native of Virginia, Dr. Rorin Platt received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned a Ph.D. at the University of Maryland at College Park. He has also studied at Georgetown University and at the University of Virginia and taught at a number of institutions. A diplomatic historian who specializes in American intelligence history, Platt has authored two books and a number of articles and book reviews. In addition, he served as a judge for two sessions at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Association of Historians, “Twentieth Century America II” and “Military History.” Platt is a contributor to The North Carolina History Project, an evolving on-line encyclopedia of North Carolina featuring historical commentaries, lesson plans for teachers and a database of community events. He was appointed to the Editorial Board of Brill Publishing’s book series. “International Relations, Diplomacy and Intelligence,” and is a former book review editor and member of the Editorial Board of “American Diplomacy,” an online journal which provides commentary, analysis and research on American foreign policy.

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