Neil Reynolds facts for kids

Neil Reynolds (1940 – May 19, 2013) was a Canadian journalist and editor. He also briefly led the Libertarian Party of Canada, a political group.

A Career in Journalism

Neil Reynolds was born in Kingston, Ontario, in 1940. He didn't finish high school but started his career as a journalist.

Working at Newspapers

He first worked as a journalist at the Sarnia Observer and the London Free Press. Later, he became the city editor for the Toronto Star. In 1974, he moved to the Kingston Whig-Standard and became its editor-in-chief in 1978. An editor-in-chief is the main person in charge of all the content in a newspaper or magazine.

In 1992, Reynolds left Kingston to become the editor-in-chief of the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal and Saint John Times-Globe. He was hired by Conrad Black in 1996 to lead the Ottawa Citizen as editor-in-chief. He stayed there until 2000. After that, he became the editor-in-chief at the Vancouver Sun until 2003.

Later Career and Magazine Ownership

After his time in Vancouver, Neil Reynolds moved back to Ottawa, Ontario. In 2007, he and his wife, Donna, bought a magazine called Diplomat & International Canada. This magazine was published in Ottawa.

In September 2009, he took on a new role. He became an editor-at-Large for three daily newspapers owned by Brunswick News Inc. These included the Telegraph-Journal, the Times & Transcript, and The Daily Gleaner. Neil Reynolds finished his long career as a columnist for the Report on Business section of The Globe and Mail. He wrote his last column in the summer of 2012.

His Time in Politics

Even though Neil Reynolds had supported the New Democratic Party when he was younger, he later got involved in politics with a different group. He became a candidate for the Libertarian Party of Canada.

Running for Office

In 1982, he ran in a special election called a by-election. This election was for a specific area, or "riding", called Leeds–Grenville. He earned 13.4% of the votes. This was the highest percentage of votes any candidate for the Libertarian Party of Canada had ever received, and it remains a record.

Leading the Party

In May 1982, Neil Reynolds became the leader of the Libertarian Party of Canada. However, he decided to step down in 1983. He wanted to go back to his job as the editor of the Kingston Whig-Standard newspaper.

Personal Life

Neil Reynolds' wife, Donna Jacobs, is a writer who works for herself in Ottawa. She writes articles and columns for different publications. Neil Reynolds passed away on May 19, 2013, at the age of 72. He died from cancer. He was survived by his wife, his three children, and his grandchildren.