Reed, Jack (1949-…), has been a member of the United States Senate since 1997. Reed, a Democrat, represents Rhode Island.
Reed was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on Nov. 12, 1949. His full name is John Francis Reed. He served in the U.S. Army from 1967 to 1979 and commanded a company of the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1971, he received a bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He served on the West Point faculty in the social science department in 1978 and 1979. Reed earned a master’s degree in 1973 and a law degree in 1982, both from Harvard University. He worked as a lawyer in private practice from 1982 to 1990.
From 1985 to 1990, Reed served in the Rhode Island state Senate. In 1990, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he took interest in environmental issues. He was reelected to the House in 1992 and 1994. In 1996, he was elected to his first term in the U.S. Senate. He took office in 1997. Reed was reelected to the Senate in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2020. As a senator, Reed has served on the Appropriations Committee; the Armed Services Committee; and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.
