John Reed
John "Jack" Reed is a prominent American politician, currently serving as a Democratic senator from Rhode Island. Born on November 12, 1949, in Providence, he was raised in a working-class family, with a mother who worked in a factory and a father who was a custodian. Reed's educational journey began at LaSalle Academy, followed by his admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he earned his undergraduate degree in 1971. He served as an Army Ranger and paratrooper, eventually attaining the rank of Major, before transitioning to Harvard Law School, where he received his law degree in 1982.
Reed's political career began in the Rhode Island State Senate in 1984, and he later served three terms in the US House of Representatives. He was elected to the Senate in 1997, succeeding long-time incumbent Claiborne Pell. Throughout his tenure, Reed has been recognized for his commitment to various social issues, including education and public libraries, and he has actively advocated for housing and transportation improvements. He has consistently aligned with liberal Democratic values and has taken on significant roles within Senate committees. Reed continues to be a relevant figure in addressing contemporary issues such as artificial intelligence and public policy.
John Reed
John "Jack" Reed was raised in a working-class family in a close-knit community. Although he has served in the military, worked as a lawyer and a teacher, and earned election to public office, he hasn't forgotten the importance of his hometown in shaping his life and accomplishments. He has been called a "relentless advocate" for Rhode Island and is a popular Democratic senator.
Early Life and Education
Jack Reed was born on November 12, 1949, in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Mary, worked in a factory, and his father, Joe, was a custodian. Reed attended LaSalle Academy, a Catholic preparatory high school in Cranston, where he was known as a hard worker and an overachiever. He played defensive back on the football team during his time there.
Rather than attending a traditional college or university, Reed sought and received a nomination to the challenging United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned his undergraduate degree in 1971 and went on to attend Harvard University for a master's degree in public policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, graduating in 1973. He served in the military as an Army Ranger and a paratrooper and rose to the rank of Major before completing his military service in 1979. While he was in the Army, he also taught as a member of the Department of Social Sciences at West Point.
Reed was twenty-nine when he left the Army, and he decided to return to Harvard for a law degree, which he received in 1982. He practiced corporate law for a few years, in both Washington, DC, and Rhode Island, until his election to the Rhode Island State Senate in 1984. After three two-year terms, he was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1990, where he served another three terms.
Election to US Senate
During his years as a congressman at both the state and national level, Reed established a consistent voting record as a liberal Democrat. Consequently, when a US Senate seat was vacated by Claiborne Pell, a Democrat who had held the office for thirty-five years, Reed's Democratic colleagues considered him a natural choice to succeed Pell. He garnered the support of Rhode Island's teaching union as well as other labor unions, and he received the Democratic nomination. His opponent was the state's General Treasurer, Nancy Mayer. She was considered a moderate Republican but emphasized an attitude of fiscal conservatism in her campaign. The National Republican Senatorial Committee spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on negative campaign ads against Reed, but he was favored in the polls throughout his campaign and defeated Mayer in the election.
Senator Reed was assigned to several committees after his election, among them the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. By 2001, he had become the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing and Transportation, and his agenda included introducing legislation for homeownership tax credits and improving programs to assist the homeless.
Political Agenda
In 2002, "Library Journal" named Reed their Politician of the Year because of his devotion to improving public libraries. In 2001, the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act was re-authorized (better known as the "No Child Left Behind" legislation), and Reed led the fight to include $250 million for schools to spend on their libraries in the form of new books, improved technology, and librarian training. The American Library Association (ALA) joined with Senator Reed for the passage of an amendment (the Reed Amendment) to the ESEA, allocating these funds. Reed had made library improvement a priority since his days in the House when, in an effort to receive public contributions, he established a website that highlighted the outdated information and substandard conditions in school libraries.
In 2002, Senator Reed worked to double the funding for the Library Services and Technology Act, first passed in 1966. He has stated that libraries are crucial not only in the early reading development of a child but also as community centers. The public library is near his local office in Cranston, where Reed grew up, and he often uses it for meetings and public forums. In 2024, Reed joined a group of senators who spoke out against the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and said they would craft legislation to establish federal oversight of AI systems.
Reed was elected to a third Senate term in 2008, defeating Republican challenger Tim Tingle by a landslide. Reed won reelection in 2014 and 2020 as well. During his fifth term in the Senate, Reed was the Senate Armed Forces Committee Chair, serving in that post until 2021. Reed also served on the Committees on Appropriations and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Bibliography
"Committee Assignments." Senator Jack Reed, 2023, www.reed.senate.gov/about/committees. Accessed 12 Apr. 2023.
"Jack's Story." Senator Jack Reed, 2023, www.reed.senate.gov/about/jacks-story. Accessed 4 Apr. 2023.
Ratnam, Gopal. “Downplaying AI’s Existential Risks Is a Fatal Error, Some Say." Roll Call, 11 June 2024, rollcall.com/2024/06/11/downplaying-ais-existential-risks-is-a-fatal-error-some-say/. Accessed 17 Oct. 2024.