Harry Reid
Harry Mason Reid Jr. (/riːd/; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.
Harry Reid | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2009 | |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Bill Frist |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Schumer |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Whip | Dick Durbin |
| Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Vice Chair | Chuck Schumer |
| Preceded by | Tom Daschle |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Schumer |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
| In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Wendell H. Ford |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Mitch McConnell |
| In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 | |
| Leader | Tom Daschle |
| Preceded by | Don Nickles |
| Succeeded by | Don Nickles |
| United States Senator from Nevada | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Laxalt |
| Succeeded by | Catherine Cortez Masto |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district | |
| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Preceded by | James Santini (at-large) |
| Succeeded by | James Bilbray |
| Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission | |
| In office March 27, 1977 – January 5, 1981 | |
| Appointed by | Mike O'Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Peter Echeverria |
| Succeeded by | Carl Dodge |
| 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada | |
| In office January 4, 1971 – January 5, 1975 | |
| Governor | Mike O'Callaghan |
| Preceded by | Edward Fike |
| Succeeded by | Robert Rose |
| Member of the Nevada Assembly from the 4th district | |
| In office January 6, 1969 – January 4, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Fike |
| Succeeded by | Robert Rose |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harry Mason Reid Jr. December 2, 1939 Searchlight, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | December 28, 2021 (aged 82) Henderson, Nevada, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Landra Gould (m. 1959) |
| Children | 5, including Rory |
| Alma mater |
|
| Signature | |
| Website | Senate website (archived) |
After earning an undergraduate degree from Utah State University and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University, Reid began his public career as the city attorney for Henderson, Nevada, before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968. Gubernatorial candidate Mike O'Callaghan, Reid's former boxing coach, chose Reid as his running mate in 1970; following their victory Reid served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975. After being defeated in races for the United States Senate and mayor of Las Vegas, Reid served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. From 1983 to 1987, Reid represented Nevada's 1st district in the United States House of Representatives.
Reid was elected to the United States Senate in 1986 and served in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. He served as the Senate Democratic whip from 1999 to 2005 before succeeding Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader. The Democrats won control of the Senate after the 2006 United States Senate elections, and Reid became the Senate Majority Leader in 2007. He held that position for the final two years of George W. Bush's presidency and for the first six years of Barack Obama's presidency. As majority leader, Reid helped pass major legislation of the Obama administration, such as the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2013, under Reid's leadership, the Senate Democratic majority controversially invoked the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for presidential nominations, other than nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans took control of the Senate following the 2014 United States Senate elections, and Reid served as Senate Minority Leader from 2015 until his retirement in 2017. Reid is Nevada's longest-serving senator, surpassing John P. Jones's record by two days.
Reid was succeeded as the Senate Democratic leader by Chuck Schumer, whose leadership bid had been endorsed by Reid. Along with Alben W. Barkley and Mike Mansfield, Reid was one of only three senators to have served at least eight years as majority leader. Harry Reid International Airport, which serves the Las Vegas Valley, was named after Reid on December 14, 2021, two weeks before his death. The airport was previously named after Pat McCarran, one of Reid's Senate predecessors.