William H. Regnery

William Henry Regnery
William Henry Regnery
Born	October 12, 1877; Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.
Died	January 16, 1954 (aged 76)
Occupation	businessman
Known for	America First Committee; founding member;
Spouse(s)	Francis Susan Thrasher; (m. 30 June 1903);
Children	5
Parent(s)	Wilhelm Regnery; Johanna Jung
Relatives	Henry Francis Regnery (son); Alfred S. Regnery (grandson); William Henry Regnery II (grandson);

William Henry Regnery (October 12, 1877 – January 16, 1954) was an American businessman.

Background

William H. Regnery was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on October 12, 1877. His father, Wilhelm, immigrated to the United States from Ensch, Germany, and the family of his mother, Johanna (née Jung), had been in the country one generation longer. The family moved to St. Lucas, Iowa, when he was very young.[1] The family was Roman Catholic.

Career

Business

Regnery enjoyed a successful career in the manufacturing business. In 1936, he was heading the Western Shade Cloth Company, based in Chicago.[2]

Politics

In his youth, Regnery attached himself to a variety of social reform movements and was particularly devoted to the ideas of Henry George.

Regnery supported Franklin Roosevelt in the U.S. presidential elections of 1932 and 1936. In the 1936 election, during a radio broadcast sponsored by the Democratic National Committee, he said: "It is my firm and honest belief that we are in the prosperous and enviable position we occupy today as a direct result of the policies which his administration put into operation to rescue the industrial and agricultural populations of our country from disaster and ruin."[2] He grew estranged from the New Deal in the late 1930s, objecting both to the growth of the government's role in the domestic economy and Roosevelt's internationalism that indicated the U.S. could intervene in a European military conflict.

Regnery was among the founders of the America First Committee, attending one of its organizing sessions in Chicago along with General Robert E. Wood and Alice Roosevelt Longworth.[3] He served on its National Committee[4] and helped finance it as well. Following World War II, he was the principal source of financial support for the Foundation for Foreign Affairs, a research and public education enterprise formed to promote a policy of non-intervention and support for German redevelopment rather than European-wide assistance.[5]

Personal life and death

Regnery married Francis Susan Thrasher, a descendant of older Pennsylvania and Maryland stock, in Kansas City on June 30, 1903. He was the father of conservative publisher Henry Regnery (1912–1996) and grandfather of white supremacist William Regnery II (1941-2021). Grandchildren include Alfred S. Regnery.

Regnery died on January 16, 1954.

References

William H. Regnery II (2003). "Preface". In Sarles, Ruth (ed.). A Story of America First: The Men and Women who Opposed U.S.intervention in World War II. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. ISBN 9780275975128. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
"Business Leaders Extol President" (PDF). New York Times. August 22, 1936. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
"America First Group Forms Local Units" (PDF). New York Times. November 13, 1940. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
Sarles, Ruth, ed. (2003). A Story of America First: The Men and Women who Opposed U.S.intervention in World War II. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. p. 22. ISBN 9780275975128. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
Bjerre-Poulsen, Niels (2002). Right Face: Organizing the American Conservative Movement 1945-65. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press. p. 93. ISBN 9788772898094. Retrieved June 14, 2016.