R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company

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R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
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Basic facts
Location:Winston-Salem, N.C.
Top official:Debra A. Crew, President and CEO
Year founded:1899
Website:Official website

As of 2016, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was the "second-largest cigarette manufacturer in the United States." The company was based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and produced several top-selling cigarette brands, including Newport, Camel, and Pall Mall.[1][2][3]

  • The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company opposed the 2016 California Proposition 56, Tobacco Tax Increase, which proposed to increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increases on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.[4]
  • The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company opposed the 2016 North Dakota Tobacco Tax Increase Initiative, which proposed to increase taxes on tobacco products and place the generated tax revenue into a new state fund to pay for veterans' services and benefits.[4][5]

    • Background

    Richard Joshua Reynolds began producing chewing tobacco in Winston, North Carolina, in 1875 and incorporated the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in 1899. The following year, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company became a part of the American Tobacco Company, but split away in 1911 after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the American Tobacco Company in an antitrust lawsuit. The newly independent R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company began producing Camel cigarettes, the first cigarette brand in the United States to gain national popularity, in 1913. Over the course of the 20th century, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company diversified its products through a series of mergers and acquisitions with brands including Nabisco and Brown & Williamson Tobacco.[6][7][8]

    As of September 2016, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company operated as a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. and ranked as the nation's second-largest cigarette producer. The company produces smokeless tobacco and several top-selling cigarette brands, including Newport, Camel, and Pall Mall.[1][3][6]

    Political activity

    Ballot measure activity

    The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company has taken positions on ballot measures that aim to implement smoking bans or impact taxes on tobacco products.

    During the 2016 election cycle, the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company opposed the California Proposition 56, Tobacco Tax Increase, which proposed to increase the cigarette tax by $2.00 per pack, with equivalent increases on other tobacco products and electronic cigarettes. The company also opposed the North Dakota Tobacco Tax Increase Initiative, which proposed to increase taxes on tobacco products and place the generated tax revenue into a new state fund to pay for veterans' services and benefits.[4][5]

    Overview of ballot measure support and opposition

    The following table details the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's ballot measure stances available on Ballotpedia:

    Ballot measure support and opposition for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
    Ballot measure Year Position Status
    California Proposition 56, Tobacco Tax Increase (2016) 2016 Opposed[4]  ApprovedaApproved
    North Dakota Tobacco Tax Increase, Initiated Statutory Measure 4 (2016) 2016 Opposed[5]  DefeateddDefeated
    California Proposition 29, Tobacco Tax for Cancer Research Fund Initiative (June 2012) 2012 Opposed[9] Defeatedd Defeated
    Oregon Healthcare Funded by Tobacco Tax, Ballot Measure 50 (2007) 2007 Opposed[10] Defeatedd Defeated
    California Proposition 86, Cigarette Tax Increase Initiative (2006) 2006 Opposed[11] Defeatedd Defeated
    Ohio Partial Smoking Ban, Amendment 4 (2006) 2006 Supported[12] Defeatedd Defeated
    South Dakota Increase Taxes on Tobacco, Initiative 2 (2006) 2006 Opposed[13] Approveda Approved
    California Proposition 10, Early Childhood Cigarette Tax Initiative (1998) 1998 Opposed[14] Approveda Approved

    Leadership

    As of September 2016, the following individuals held leadership positions with the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company:[15]

    • Debra A. Crew, President and CEO
    • Daniel J. Herko, Executive vice president, research and development
    • Nancy H. Hawley, Executive vice president, operations
    • Martin L. Holton III, Executive vice president, general counsel
    • J. Brice O’Brien, Executive vice president, public affairs and chief communications officer
    • Mark A. Peters, Chief financial officer
    • Michael P. Auger, Executive vice president, trade marketing
    • Cressida Lozano, Executive vice president, consumer marketing

    Recent news

    The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

    R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company - Google News

    See also

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, "What we make," accessed September 13, 2016
    2. ↑ Better Business Bureau, "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company," accessed September 13, 2016
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Petroleum Marketers Association of America, "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company," accessed September 13, 2016
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 The Sacramento Bee, "Tobacco companies drop nearly $17 million into anti-tax campaign," July 18, 2016
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Washington Times, "Cigarette makers fight North Dakota tobacco tax hike," August 17, 2016
    6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, "History," accessed September 13, 2016
    7. ↑ The University of North Carolina Press, "The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company," accessed September 13, 2016
    8. ↑ Encyclopedia Britannica, "R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company," accessed September 13, 2016
    9. ↑ East Bay Times, "Perata's cigarette tax measure finds First 5 foes," November 17, 2009
    10. ↑ Oregon Secretary of State, "Transaction Search Results: Oregonians Against a Blank Check," accessed March 10, 2015
    11. ↑ Follow the Money, "Proposition 086," accessed September 13, 2016
    12. ↑ Follow the Money, "Database for the smoking ban initiative," accessed July 30, 2013
    13. ↑ Follow the Money, "Measure 2," accessed September 13, 2016
    14. ↑ University of the Pacific, "Proposition 10: State and County Early Childhood Development Programs," accessed September 13, 2016
    15. ↑ R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, "Our leadership," accessed September 13, 2016
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