Thomas Brackett Reed

Thomas B. Reed
Reed circa 1894
32nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office December 2, 1895 – September 4, 1899
Preceded by	Charles F. Crisp
Succeeded by	David B. Henderson
In office December 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891
Preceded by	John G. Carlisle
Succeeded by	Charles F. Crisp
Leader of the House Republican Conference
In office December 4, 1889 – March 3, 1899
Preceded by	James G. Blaine
Succeeded by	David B. Henderson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 1st district
In office March 4, 1877 – September 4, 1899
Preceded by	John H. Burleigh
Succeeded by	Amos L. Allen
Maine Attorney General
In office 1870–1872
Governor	Joshua Chamberlain Sidney Perham
Preceded by	William P. Frye
Succeeded by	Harris M. Plaisted
Member of the Maine Senate from Cumberland County
In office 1870
Member of the Maine House of Representatives
In office 1868–1869
Personal details
Born	(1839-10-18)October 18, 1839 Portland, Maine, U.S.
Died	December 7, 1902(1902-12-07) (aged 63) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting place	Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Susan P. Merrill ​ (m. 1871)​
Children	Katherine Reed Balentine
Alma mater	Bowdoin College
Profession	Attorney
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States (Union)
Service	Union Navy
Years of service	1864–1865
Rank	Acting Assistant Paymaster
Unit	USS Sibyl
Wars	American Civil War

Thomas Brackett Reed Jr. (October 18, 1839 – December 7, 1902) was an American attorney, author, parliamentarian and Republican Party politician from Maine who served as the 32nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1889 to 1891 and 1895 to 1899. He represented Maine's 1st congressional district in the House from 1877 to 1899 and, prior to his time in Congress, represented Portland in the Maine legislature and served as Attorney General of Maine. In 1876, he was elected to represent Cumberland and York counties in the U.S. House and was re-elected for twelve consecutive terms.^[a]

As Speaker, Reed had greater influence over the agenda and operations of the House than any prior Speaker. His first term was marked by a dramatic expansion of the Speaker's formal authority through changes to the House Rules, and he remains one of the most powerful Speakers in House history. He set out to put into practical effect his dictum "The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch"^[1] and dramatically increased the power of the Speaker over the House by limiting the ability of the minority party to prevent the establishment of a quorum.^[2][3] Reed helped pass the Lodge Bill, which sought to protect African American voting rights in the Southern United States, but the bill failed in the Senate and never became law.

In 1896, he ran for president on a hard currency platform but lost the Republican nomination to William McKinley. While serving as Speaker in 1899, Reed resigned from the House in opposition to growing American imperialism, which left him politically isolated following the American victory in the Spanish-American War and the passage of the Newlands Resolution.

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