He was born at Fryers Creek in Victoria to miner John Reynoldson and Elizabeth Coates.
He received a primary education before starting work at the Meehans Freehold mine at Guildford in 1872.
He then worked on the construction of the Moama-Deniliquin and Sale-Melbourne railway lines and on his father's farm near Kyabram, establishing his own selected farm in partnership with his brother near Numurkah in 1878.
He later moved his farming operations to the Berrigan district in southern New South Wales, where he was instrumental in the establishment of irrigation schemes.
In 1904 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the independent member for Deniliquin; he held the seat for a single term before retiring in 1907.