John William Reid

John William Reid (born June 14, 1821 in Lynchburg , Virginia , † November 22, 1881 in Lee's Summit , Missouri ) was an American politician . In 1861 he represented the state of Missouri in the US House of Representatives .

Career

John Reid attended the public schools in his home country and moved to Missouri in 1840, where he initially worked as a teacher. After a subsequent law degree and his admission as a lawyer, he began to practice in Jefferson City in 1844 in this profession. During the Mexican-American War he was a captain and company commander in the US Army . He was wounded twice in the process. He also took part in a campaign against the Navajo .

Politically, Reid was a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate of slavery . Between 1854 and 1856 he was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives . He was also a member of a commission for the revision of the state constitution. Before the Civil War he took an active part in the civil war-like conditions in the neighboring Kansas Territory with the aim of driving the opponents of slavery out of this area. He was in command of like-minded fighters who were acting illegally and not on behalf of the Missouri state government.

In the congressional election of 1860 Reid was elected to the United States House of Representatives in Washington, DC in the fifth constituency of Missouri , where he succeeded Samuel H. Woodson on March 4, 1861 . Due to his political views, he withdrew from Washington on August 3, 1861. After joining the Confederation Army , he was officially expelled from Congress on December 2, 1861, as a traitor. During the Civil War he was a staff officer with General Sterling Price . He later became the agent for handling claims against the Confederation government . After the war, he was imprisoned in federal prison for a year before being pardoned.

After his release, Reid returned to work as a lawyer. He also worked in banking, real estate, railroad business and bridge building. In doing so, he became very wealthy. He is also considered to be one of the builders of modern Kansas City . John Reid died at Lee's Summit on November 22, 1881 and was buried in Kansas City.

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personal data
SURNAME	Reid, John William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	June 14, 1821
PLACE OF BIRTH	Lynchburg , Virginia
DATE OF DEATH	November 22, 1881
Place of death	Lee's Summit , Missouri