Reynolds to the rescue of Roosevelt

“Fueled by rage at Roosevelt and possessed of an attractive candidate [Wendell Willkie] to run against him….the GOP was gearing up — and shelling out — for a supreme effort….

“The [Democrats] had been outspent in every national election since 1920, and…never had the supply of funds been shorter than in 1940.

“The five great radio speeches by Roosevelt… that were to boost his popularity during the last days of the campaign would not have been broadcast had not Richard Reynolds [Jr.], of the North Carolina tobacco family, appeared on the scene with a last-minute $175,000 loan to pay for the radio time.”

— From “The Path to Power (The Years of Lyndon Johnson, Volume 1)” (1982) by Robert A. Caro