Reau Folk was born in Brownsville, Tennessee on September 21, 1865. The son of Henry Bate Folk and Martha Cornelia Estes Folk, the young Reau received his primary and secondary education in Brownsville before graduating from Wake Forest College.
Following his graduation, Mr. Folk joined the editorial staff of the Nashville American; a post he held until 1893 when he was elected clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was re-elected to this post four times. In 1901 he was elected state treasurer and ex-efficio insurance commissioner. Mr. Folk held this post for 10 years. Shortly after the turn of the century, Folk inaugurated the Hughes investigation, conducted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. This investigation helped to clean up the insurance industry and brought about the standardization of life insurance policies. Reau Folk gained national prominance for his part in beginning this investigation. In 1911, Mr. Folk was appointed agency manager of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and remained with the firm until his death.
Active in social as well as business pursuits, Reau Folk was active in bond raising campaigns, and community Red Cross activities during World War I. He was a trustee of the Hermitage and the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and a past president of the Assembly. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, the Order of Red Men, a Knight of Pythias, the Elks Club, Royal Arcanum, and National Union.
During his tenure as a trustee of the Ladies Hermitage Association, Mr. Folk was appointed chairman of a committee to make a detailed study of the Battle of New Orleans. The report of that committee, written by Mr. Folk, was published in book form. It submitted proof that the Battle of New Orleans, fought after the war was officially over, was not a useless and unnecessary battle. Reau Folk spent much of the rest of his life promoting the findings of that committee.
On February 8, 1948, at 6:20 a.m., Reau Folk passed away at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. That same day, his son, Reau E. Folk, Jr. sent telegrams to a group of family members and firend. In the flurry of messages, a telegram was sent to William J. Graham, of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York, and Condell Hull in Washington, D. C. The telegrams read simply, "Father passed away quietly this morning. Funeral Tuesday morning." In response to his messages announcing his father's death, Reau Folk, Jr. and his mother received many replies. Among them were telegrams from former Tennessee Governor, Jim Nance McCord and Cordell Hull.
Following his graduation, Mr. Folk joined the editorial staff of the Nashville American; a post he held until 1893 when he was elected clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was re-elected to this post four times. In 1901 he was elected state treasurer and ex-efficio insurance commissioner. Mr. Folk held this post for 10 years. Shortly after the turn of the century, Folk inaugurated the Hughes investigation, conducted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. This investigation helped to clean up the insurance industry and brought about the standardization of life insurance policies. Reau Folk gained national prominance for his part in beginning this investigation. In 1911, Mr. Folk was appointed agency manager of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and remained with the firm until his death.
Active in social as well as business pursuits, Reau Folk was active in bond raising campaigns, and community Red Cross activities during World War I. He was a trustee of the Hermitage and the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and a past president of the Assembly. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, the Order of Red Men, a Knight of Pythias, the Elks Club, Royal Arcanum, and National Union.
During his tenure as a trustee of the Ladies Hermitage Association, Mr. Folk was appointed chairman of a committee to make a detailed study of the Battle of New Orleans. The report of that committee, written by Mr. Folk, was published in book form. It submitted proof that the Battle of New Orleans, fought after the war was officially over, was not a useless and unnecessary battle. Reau Folk spent much of the rest of his life promoting the findings of that committee.
On February 8, 1948, at 6:20 a.m., Reau Folk passed away at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. That same day, his son, Reau E. Folk, Jr. sent telegrams to a group of family members and firend. In the flurry of messages, a telegram was sent to William J. Graham, of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York, and Condell Hull in Washington, D. C. The telegrams read simply, "Father passed away quietly this morning. Funeral Tuesday morning." In response to his messages announcing his father's death, Reau Folk, Jr. and his mother received many replies. Among them were telegrams from former Tennessee Governor, Jim Nance McCord and Cordell Hull.
Reau Folk was born in Brownsville, Tennessee on September 21, 1865. The son of Henry Bate Folk and Martha Cornelia Estes Folk, the young Reau received his primary and secondary education in Brownsville before graduating from Wake Forest College.
Following his graduation, Mr. Folk joined the editorial staff of the Nashville American; a post he held until 1893 when he was elected clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was re-elected to this post four times. In 1901 he was elected state treasurer and ex-efficio insurance commissioner. Mr. Folk held this post for 10 years. Shortly after the turn of the century, Folk inaugurated the Hughes investigation, conducted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. This investigation helped to clean up the insurance industry and brought about the standardization of life insurance policies. Reau Folk gained national prominance for his part in beginning this investigation. In 1911, Mr. Folk was appointed agency manager of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and remained with the firm until his death.
Active in social as well as business pursuits, Reau Folk was active in bond raising campaigns, and community Red Cross activities during World War I. He was a trustee of the Hermitage and the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and a past president of the Assembly. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, the Order of Red Men, a Knight of Pythias, the Elks Club, Royal Arcanum, and National Union.
During his tenure as a trustee of the Ladies Hermitage Association, Mr. Folk was appointed chairman of a committee to make a detailed study of the Battle of New Orleans. The report of that committee, written by Mr. Folk, was published in book form. It submitted proof that the Battle of New Orleans, fought after the war was officially over, was not a useless and unnecessary battle. Reau Folk spent much of the rest of his life promoting the findings of that committee.
On February 8, 1948, at 6:20 a.m., Reau Folk passed away at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. That same day, his son, Reau E. Folk, Jr. sent telegrams to a group of family members and firend. In the flurry of messages, a telegram was sent to William J. Graham, of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York, and Condell Hull in Washington, D. C. The telegrams read simply, "Father passed away quietly this morning. Funeral Tuesday morning." In response to his messages announcing his father's death, Reau Folk, Jr. and his mother received many replies. Among them were telegrams from former Tennessee Governor, Jim Nance McCord and Cordell Hull.
Following his graduation, Mr. Folk joined the editorial staff of the Nashville American; a post he held until 1893 when he was elected clerk of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was re-elected to this post four times. In 1901 he was elected state treasurer and ex-efficio insurance commissioner. Mr. Folk held this post for 10 years. Shortly after the turn of the century, Folk inaugurated the Hughes investigation, conducted by Supreme Court Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. This investigation helped to clean up the insurance industry and brought about the standardization of life insurance policies. Reau Folk gained national prominance for his part in beginning this investigation. In 1911, Mr. Folk was appointed agency manager of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and remained with the firm until his death.
Active in social as well as business pursuits, Reau Folk was active in bond raising campaigns, and community Red Cross activities during World War I. He was a trustee of the Hermitage and the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, and a past president of the Assembly. He was a member of Immanuel Baptist Church, the Order of Red Men, a Knight of Pythias, the Elks Club, Royal Arcanum, and National Union.
During his tenure as a trustee of the Ladies Hermitage Association, Mr. Folk was appointed chairman of a committee to make a detailed study of the Battle of New Orleans. The report of that committee, written by Mr. Folk, was published in book form. It submitted proof that the Battle of New Orleans, fought after the war was officially over, was not a useless and unnecessary battle. Reau Folk spent much of the rest of his life promoting the findings of that committee.
On February 8, 1948, at 6:20 a.m., Reau Folk passed away at Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville. That same day, his son, Reau E. Folk, Jr. sent telegrams to a group of family members and firend. In the flurry of messages, a telegram was sent to William J. Graham, of the Equitable Life Assurance Society in New York, and Condell Hull in Washington, D. C. The telegrams read simply, "Father passed away quietly this morning. Funeral Tuesday morning." In response to his messages announcing his father's death, Reau Folk, Jr. and his mother received many replies. Among them were telegrams from former Tennessee Governor, Jim Nance McCord and Cordell Hull.
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