REED, THOMAS BRACKETT (1839-1902), American statesman, was born in Portland, Me., on Oct. 18, 1839. He grad uated at Bowdoin college in 186o, and in 1865 was admitted to the bar. He was a member of the Maine House of Representatives in 1868-69 and of the State Senate in 187o, was attorney-general of the State in 187o-72, and was city solicitor of Portland in 1874 77. He was a Republican member of the National House of Representatives from 1877 until 1899, of which he was speaker in 1889-91 and in 1895-99. He was a "strong" speaker in his control of the proceedings, and he developed an organized committee sys tem, making the majority of the committee on rules consist of the speaker and chairman of the committees on ways and means and on appropriations. The "Reed rules," drawn up by him, William McKinley and J. G. Cannon, were adopted on Feb. 14, 1890; they provided that every member must vote, unless pecuniarily inter ested in a measure, that members present and not voting may be counted for a quorum, and that no dilatory motion be entertained by the speaker. His parliamentary methods were bitterly attacked
by his political enemies, who called him "Tsar Reed." His rules and methods of control of legislation were adopted by his succes sors in the speakership, and the power of the rules committee was greatly increased. After the war with Spain Reed broke with the administration on the issue of imperialism. He resigned his seat in 1899 and practised law in New York city. He died in Washington on Dec. 7, 1902. Reed was a remarkable personality, of whom many good stories were told, and opinions varied as to his conduct in the chair; but he was essentially a man of rugged honesty and power.
Reed's Rules were published as a parliamentary manual. He edited with others a Library of Modern Eloquence (19oI). See the chapter on Reed in H. B. Fuller's Speakers of the House (Boston, 1909).