Thomas Brackett Reed
American politician (1839-1902)
Thomas Brackett Reed Jr. (October 18, 1839 – December 7, 1902) was an American attorney, author, parliamentarian and Republican Party politician from Maine who served as the 32nd Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1889 to 1891 and 1895 to 1899. Reed had greater influence over the agenda and operations of the House than any prior Speaker, leading to him being referred to as "Czar" Reed by opponents. His first term was marked by a dramatic expansion of the office's formal authority through changes to the House Rules, and he remains one of the most powerful Speakers in House history. He set out to put into practical effect his dictum "The best system is to have one party govern and the other party watch" and dramatically increased the power of the Speaker over the House by limiting the ability of the minority party to prevent the establishment of a quorum. Reed helped pass the Lodge Bill, which sought to protect African American voting rights in the Southern United States, but the bill failed in the Senate and never became law.
He represented Maine's 1st congressional district in the House from 1877 to 1899 and, prior to his time in Congress, represented Portland in the Maine legislature and served as Attorney General of Maine. In 1876, he was elected to represent Cumberland and York counties in the U.S. House and was re-elected for twelve consecutive terms.
In 1896, he ran for president on a hard currency platform but lost the Republican nomination to William McKinley. He voted in favor of the Spanish–American War, but while serving as Speaker in 1899, Reed resigned from the House in opposition to growing American imperialism, which left him politically isolated following the American victory over Spain and the passage of the Newlands Resolution.
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