The Key Players

John Banzhaf: On a whim, he challenged the TV networks to give equal time to anti-smoking ads. That led in part to the broadcast ban on cigarette advertising.

Lynn Beasley: The woman behind the Joe Camel character in R.J.R.'s advertising campaign and one of the highest-ranking females in the tobacco industry. She is executive vice president of marketing.

Melvin Belli: Flamboyant San Francisco trial lawyer and longtime adversary of the tobacco industry. Belli, who Life Magazine dubbed the "King of Torts," was the first plaintiffs' lawyer to bring a smoking lawsuit to trial.

Geoffrey Bible: Chief executive of Philip Morris Inc. In 1997, the Australian-born executive teamed with Reynolds' CEO Steven Goldstone to encourage a settlement between the tobacco industry and the states suing it for Medicaid reimbursement.

Phil Carlton: Confidante of N.C. Gov. Jim Hunt and negotiator for tobacco companies in settlement talks.

Rose Cipollone: A New Jersey woman who sued Philip Morris, Lorillard and Liggett & Myers after getting lung cancer. She died in 1984, but her husband Antonio continued the suit. The case marked a turning point in tobacco litigation.

Frank Colby: Started with Reynolds in 1951 and eventually became the company's manager of scientific information and associate director of scientific issues, retiring in 1983. He was RJR's point man on many smoking-and-health issues and still acts as a company consultant.

Anthony Colucci: Colucci was a staff biochemist at RJR from 1967 to 1970, and was a consultant for its legal defense team from 1984 to 1992. He left the company in March 1992 and claimed that RJR closed down a research facility that was getting close to showing a link between smoking and respiratory illness.

Bruce Cook: Trial attorney for Charles Kueper of Cahokia, Ill., who sued RJR in 1991.

Paul Crist: Partner with Jones, Day Reavis & Pogue. One of RJR's principal trial attorneys in smoking-and-health lawsuits.

Edward Darr: Darr joined RJR in 1920 as an assistant secretary. He became sales manager in 1937 and gained a seat on the board of directors. He was made vice president in 1946 and became president in 1952. He was the driving force behind the introduction of Winston in 1954.

John Dowdle: Longtime executive and former treasurer of Reynolds Industries.

Mike Easley: N.C. Attorney General who helped negotiate behind the scenes for the $368.5 billion national tobacco settlement that was proposed in 1997. When that settlement died in Congress, Easley helped structure a $206 billion settlement with the industry in November 1998.


Alexander Galloway: Alex Galloway was a neighbor and playmate of R.J. Reynolds' four children and the cousin of Bowman Gray Jr. He started at RJR in 1929 as a clerk in the accounting department. He became president in 1960, chief executive office in 1967 and chairman of the board in 1969, after the death of his cousin. He retired in 1973.

Wendell Gauthier: New Orleans trial lawyer who headed up federal class-action lawsuit against tobacco companies.

Louis Gerstner: Gerstner was credited with revitalizing the credit-card business at American Express in his 11 years there. He came to RJR Nabisco after the leveraged buyout and presided over sale of company's assets to pay down debt. Now chairman of IBM Corp.

Steven F. Goldstone: Goldstone was a Wall Street lawyer when he became president of RJR Nabisco in 1996. He helped broker the deal between the tobacco companies and the attorneys general and then presided over the split between Reynolds Tobacco and Nabisco Brands and the sale of RJR's international tobacco operations.

Bowman Gray Sr.: Former chairman of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. He helped orchestrate Camel's rise. Father of Bowman Gray Jr.

Bowman Gray Jr.: Gray started work at RJR as a salesman in 1930, and became president in 1957 and chairman of the board in 1959. He died in 1969, and his inability to pick a successor would haunt the company. Gray's, father was Bowman Gray Sr., R.J. Reynolds' top aide.

Lyons Gray: The son of Bowman Gray Jr.; state representative in N.C. General Assembly. Gray grew up hearing his father's stories about his early days as an RJR salesman.

Gerard Gunzenhauser: Longtime finance officer with Reynolds Tobacco and other subsidiaries of RJR Nabisco. Retired in 1991 as chief financial officer of the tobacco company.

George Washington Hill: President of American Tobacco Co. in the 1920s. Camel's success infuriated him.

William D. Hobbs: Longtime manufacturing executive who rose to become chairman and chief executive of Reynolds Tobacco in 1975. Became executive vice president of all tobacco operations in 1980. Driving force behind Real, an ill-fated brand of the mid-1970s.

Ed Horrigan: Joined Reynolds Tobacco International in 1978 as division's chairman and chief executive. He came to the domestic company in the same position in 1980. Presided over the Tobaccoville expansion. Resigned in 1989 after leveraged buyout.

Hubert H. Humphrey III: As Minnesota Attorney General, he sued the tobacco industry, forcing a settlement and the release of millions of confidential documents. The son of former Sen. Hubert Humphrey, "Skip" Humphrey lost the race for governor last year to Jesse Ventura.

Joe Inman: Vice president of manufacturing at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco. Inman is one of the rare employees who rose up through the ranks. After graduating from East Surry High School in 1969, Inman was hired to clean bathrooms at RJR's Whitaker Park plant. Today, he makes sure that Reynolds' manufacturing plants spit out more than 2.5 billion cigarettes each week.

F. Ross Johnson: Came to Reynolds as president after its merger with Nabisco Brands in 1985. Orchestrated ouster of Tylee Wilson as chief executive in 1986, then moved corporate headquarters to Atlanta in 1987. Tried to take company private through leveraged buyout in 1988 but lost bidding war to investment group headed by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.

Jim Johnston: First joined Reynolds in 1979 as executive vice president of Asia/Pacific. Brought to domestic tobacco in 1981 as executive vice president for marketing. Resigned in 1984 and went to work for Citibank. Returned in 1989 as chief executive. Resigned in 1996.

David Kessler: Former head of Food and Drug Administration. In 1994, he began investigating the tobacco industry when allegations surfaced that the cigarette companies manipulated nicotine to hook smokers. Kessler later demanded nicotine be labeled as a drug.

Bennett LeBow: Chief executive of Liggett Group, which cut an early deal with states suing the tobacco industry in 1996 and 1997. It was the first time a tobacco company had ever offered to settle its legal problems. As a result, LeBow was considered a traitor among his tobacco colleagues.

Jerry Long: Long came to RJR Foods in 1969 from an advertising agency in New York. He switched to international tobacco in 1975 and came to the domestic tobacco company in 1979, eventually becoming chief executive of domestic tobacco. Pushed out by Ross Johnson in 1988.

Mike Moore: Mississippi attorney general who was the first to bring a government-backed lawsuit against the tobacco industry to recoup the taxpayer costs of treating patients who had smoking-related diseases.

Roy Morse: Longtime researcher at Reynolds Tobacco, involved with many of the company's experiments on smoking and health.

Henry Ramm: Powerful general counsel at Reynolds Tobacco. Joined company in 1946. Retired in 1970. Architect of much of the company's and industry's legal strategy on liability over health claims.

R.J. Reynolds: Founder of the tobacco company that bears his name. Introduced the world to Camels and built an industry juggernaut. Died in 1918.

Alan Rodgman: World-reknowned authority on the chemical composition of cigarette smoke. Joined Reynolds Tobacco in 1951 as a senior research chemist. Retired in 1987 as director of fundamental research and development.

Andy Schindler: Joined Reynolds Industries in 1974. Worked in training and staff development, then took various positions in manufacturing and human resources. Became senior vice president of manufacturing in 1989 and president of Reynolds Tobacco in 1994. Currently chairman and chief executive officer.

Murray Senkus: Joined Reynolds Tobacco as director of chemical research in 1951. Became director of research in 1961 and later director of scientific affairs. Holds 57 patents, including the chemical process for making crystalline penicillin.

Donald Shopland: Clerk on first Surgeon General's report in 1964; longtime anti-smoking activist.

William S. Smith: Known as "Smitty," he first joined Reynolds Tobacco in 1939. Longtime salesman who rose to become president and chief executive of Reynolds Tobacco in 1970.

J. Paul Sticht: Joined Reynolds in 1968 as a member of its board of directors after careers at Campbell Soup and Federated Department Stores. Became chairman of RJR's executive committee in 1972, president of the company in 1973, chief executive in 1978 and chairman in 1979. Retired in 1983, but remained as chairman of board's executive committee and served as acting chief executive after the leveraged buyout.

Colin Stokes: Longtime manufacturing executive who rose to become chairman of Reynolds Industries in the mid-1970s, sharing power with Paul Sticht.

Luther Terry: U.S. Surgeon General who presided over the first report on smoking and health in 1964.

David E. Townsend: Expert on cigarette design who joined Reynolds as senior research and development chemist in 1977. Now vice president of product development and assessment.

Charlie Wade: Started as trainee in human resources at Reynolds Tobacco in 1938. Became personnel manager in 1949 and joined board of directors in 1955. Lobbyist, peacemaker and troubleshooter for the company. Resigned in 1976 after company fundraising scandal.

Henry Waxman: Democratic congressman from California and longtime opponent of the tobacco industry.

John Whitaker: Beloved former chairman of Reynolds Tobacco. The Whitaker Park complex is named for him. Whitaker, who was president of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. from 1948 to 1952, and chairman of the board from 1952 to 1959, was instrumental in integrating the plants and increasing employee benefits.

Norwood "Woody" Wilner: Jacksonville, Fla. trial lawyer who won two cases against tobacco companies; both overturned on appeal.

Tylee Wilson: Joined RJR Foods in 1974. Became first president of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International in 1976, then oversaw domestic and international tobacco from 1978 until 1983, when he became chief executive officer of Reynolds Industries. Forced out by Ross Johnson in 1987.