Reynolds was born on February 29, 1868, in
Brooklyn, New York, the son of William Reynolds and Margaret McChesney. His father worked as a builder and carpenter. Reynolds studied law for two years at New York University, but didn't graduate. He initially worked for his father. When he was 18, he opened a real estate broker office and began buying, developing, and selling land in
Bedford. He quickly became so successful, his father began working for him. In the early 1890s, he bought at least 80 lots in
Prospect Heights previously meant for
Prospect Park and turned them into
row houses. He also built the Montauk Theatre, rebuilt the Bennett Casino, and helped create
Borough Park. He also developed neighborhoods in
Bensonhurst and Westminster Heights, built the
Jamaica Racetrack, owned several movie theaters (including the
Casino Theatre in
Manhattan). He opened
Dreamland, a
Coney Island amusement park, in 1904. The park was destroyed in a terrible fire in 1911. In 1893, Reynolds was elected to the
New York State Senate as a
Republican, representing
New York's 3rd State Senate district. He served in the State Senate in
1894 and
1895. While in the State Senate, he voted against the consolidation of New York City and Brooklyn. In 1907, Reynolds went to
Long Beach, then a few ramshackle buildings on the sand dunes, and began developing it. In 1914, when Long Beach became a village, he was elected the first village president. In 1922, when it became a city, he was elected the first mayor. He also developed
Lido Beach. He served as president of the Lido Realty Corporation, Long Beach on the Ocean, Inc., the Alert Associates, the Livingston Amusement Company, the Blythedale Water Company, the Reylex Corporation, and the Long Beach Railway Company. He was also director of the Long Island Safe Deposit Company. In October, he was again indicted with three others for conspiring to defraud the city. The indictments were dismissed in 1920. In May 1924, while serving as mayor of Long Beach, Reynolds was indicted with Long Beach treasurer John Gracy for stealing over $8,000 from the city funds. They were tried and found guilty in June for committing grand larceny and Reynolds was removed from his mayoral office. They were sentenced to six months in the Nassau County jail, but they were permitted to remain free pending their appeal. In June 1925, the appellate court reversed the earlier ruling and ordered a new trial be conducted. The charges were dropped in 1927. Reynolds was married to Elsie Guerrier. They had two daughters, Mrs. Charles C. Warren and Mrs. Russel O. Ellis. He was a member of the
Freemasons and the
Elks. Reynolds died at home of heart disease on October 13, 1931. He was buried in
Green-Wood Cemetery. == References ==