Mercer "Merce" Reynolds III (born June 17, 1945) is an American businessman. He was the finance chair of U.S. President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's presidential campaign.
Education and early career
Reynolds, born in
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
, earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...
, and an
M.B.A.
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as account ...
from the
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UT-Chattanooga, UTC, or Chattanooga) is a public university in Chattanooga, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1886 and is one of four universities and two other affiliated institutions in the ...
. After serving briefly in the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
(1968–1969), he worked for
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
for ten years.
Career
In 1979, Reynolds and business partner
William DeWitt
William Dewitt (1738 – July 18, 1813 ) was a South Carolina planter, lawyer, and politician who was a Captain in the American Revolutionary War. He was a Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives 6 years after the signing of the ...
founded the investment firm Reynolds, DeWitt & Co.; he was its co-chair until 2001. Reynolds' other business ventures included
Spectrum 7
Spectrum 7 was an oil company started by William DeWitt and Mercer Reynolds.
In 1984, Spectrum 7 merged with George W. Bush's Arbusto Energy. After the merger, Bush became the Chairman and CEO of Spectrum 7.
According to George Soros
...
, an oil company which he co-chaired from 1980 to 1985 and which, in 1984 merged with the struggling firm
Arbusto Energy
Arbusto Energy was an oil and gas exploration firm started in 1977 by former U.S. president George W. Bush. In 1984, the company merged with Spectrum 7 Energy Corp.
Company history
Arbusto Energy was organized in 1977, but did not begin operation ...
, which was owned by George W. Bush. Reynolds was later an investor with Bush in the
Texas Rangers baseball team. From 1985 to 2001, he was CEO of Reynolds Plantation, a golf community near
Lake Oconee
Lake Oconee is a reservoir in central Georgia, United States, on the Oconee River near Greensboro and Eatonton. It was created in 1979 when Georgia Power completed the construction of the Wallace Dam on the Oconee River.
Lake Oconee runs throug ...
in
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
.
Reynolds was the
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
finance chairman for the
George W. Bush 2000 presidential campaign
The 2000 presidential campaign of George W. Bush, then governor of Texas, was formally launched on June 14, 1999 as Governor Bush, the eldest son of former President George H. W. Bush, announced his intention to seek the Republican Party n ...
, raising over $600,000, and was named to co-chair Bush's inaugural committee. As the national finance chair of U.S. President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's
2004 re-election campaign, Reynolds helped raise over $200 million for the successful effort and is sometimes credited with helping to deliver Ohio's key electoral votes to the President. He was a frequent guest of President Bush at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...
and at
Camp David
Camp David is the country retreat for the president of the United States of America. It is located in the wooded hills of Catoctin Mountain Park, in Frederick County, Maryland, near the towns of Thurmont and Emmitsburg, about north-northwe ...
, and was a leading contender for the post of
Commerce Secretary upon the 2004 resignation of
Donald Evans
Donald Louis Evans (born July 27, 1946) is an American businessman. He was the 34th U.S. Secretary of Commerce. He was appointed by his longtime friend George W. Bush and sworn into office on January 20, 2001. On November 9, 2004, the White Hou ...
.
Carlos Gutierrez
Carlos Miguel Gutierrez (originally Gutiérrez; born November 4, 1953) is an American former CEO and former United States Secretary of Commerce. He is currently a Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of EmPath. Gutierrez is a former Chairman of th ...
was ultimately selected, and served until the end of Bush's term.
Reynolds has been active in fundraising for community and civic organizations including
Summerbridge, a tutoring program for inner-city youth in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, and
United Way of America
United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016.
United Way organizations raise funds ...
. In the field of foreign policy, he sits on the advisory board of the
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is an American think tank based in Washington, D.C. CSIS was founded as the Center for Strategic and International Studies of Georgetown University in 1962. The center conducts polic ...
and has been involved with the Bridging the Rift Foundation in the Middle East.
Ambassadorship
From August 2001 to September 2003, Reynolds served as the ambassador of the
United States to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, although was criticized for his lack of qualifications or prior diplomatic experience.
Personal life
Reynolds and his wife, Gabrielle, live in
Indian Hill, Ohio
The Village of Indian Hill is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an affluent suburb of the Greater Cincinnati area. The population was 5,785 at the 2010 census. Prior to 1970, Indian Hill was incorporated as a village, but under ...
; they have five children. Gabrielle Reynolds was appointed by President Bush in 2004 to serve on the board of trustees of the
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
. Reynolds' daughter-in-law is
Lindsay Reynolds, the former Chief of Staff of
First Lady of the United States
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
Melania Trump
Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...
.
Mercer was a Platform Tennis player for many years in the 70’s and 80’s and nationally ranked.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Mercer
Living people
1945 births
Ambassadors of the United States to Switzerland
Ambassadors of the United States to Liechtenstein
UNC Kenan–Flagler Business School alumni
People from Indian Hill, Ohio
Coca-Cola people
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga alumni