Harrison Reed (politician)

Harrison Jackson Reed (born August 26, 1813 in Littleton , Middlesex County , Massachusetts , † May 25, 1899 in Jacksonville , Florida ) was an American politician and from 1868 to 1873 the 9th  governor of the state of Florida.

Early years and political advancement

Harrison Reed grew up in Massachusetts and moved to Milwaukee in 1836 , where he worked as a journalist. He edited several newspapers and was also involved in founding the city of Neenah . In 1861 he moved to Washington, DC and got a job with the US Treasury Department , which he held until 1863. That year President Abraham Lincoln named him Florida Tax Officer. Its main role was the management of confiscated Confederate property. He carried out this task until 1865; Due to the ongoing civil war, it could only be carried out under military protection in occupied territories. President Andrew Johnson appointed him post-war Florida postal administrator in 1865. In 1868 a new constitution had come into effect in Florida. Under the terms of this constitution, Reed ran for governor of the Republican Party . He managed to win the election and thus became the first republican governor of this state.

Florida governor

His term of office should actually have started on June 8, 1868. But he had to wait until July 4th. On that day, the commander of the US troops responsible for this area declared both the constitution and the gubernatorial election to be valid. Thus, Reed's tenure began on July 4, 1868, the American national holiday. His job as governor was not easy. On the one hand, the military occupation continued, on the other hand, he had to set up a civil administration, put the state's finances in order and introduce a new tax system. He was quite successful with that. Integrating the black population into society was another challenge. With this in mind, he appointed Jonathan Gibbs, the first African-American to be his state secretary, who also received the rank of officer in the militia, a daring undertaking in what was then the south. Accordingly, he had to deal with a strong opposition. This came not only from within the Democratic Party , but also from a wing of his own Republicans, including his Lieutenant Governor William Gleason . Twice the opposition made unsuccessful attempts to remove the governor from his office.

Another résumé

Reed's tenure ended on January 7, 1873. He retired to his farm and then returned to journalism by publishing a local newspaper. President Benjamin Harrison appointed him director of the Postal Administration of the City of Jacksonville in 1889. He held this position until 1893. He was then a member of the Florida House of Representatives until his death in 1899 . Harrison Reed was married twice and had three children in total.

literature

• Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Vol. 1, Meckler Books, Westport, Conn., 1978. 4 volumes

Web links

• Harrison Reed in the National Governors Association (English)
• Florida Governors' Portraits (English)
• Harrison Reed in the database of Find a Grave (English)