Whitelaw Reid

Whitelaw Reid
Portrait by Brady-Handy, c. 1870–1880
United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office June 5, 1905 – December 15, 1912
President	Theodore Roosevelt William Howard Taft
Preceded by	Joseph Choate
Succeeded by	Walter Hines Page
28th United States Minister to France
In office May 21, 1889 – March 25, 1892
President	Benjamin Harrison
Preceded by	Robert McLane
Succeeded by	T. Jefferson Coolidge
Personal details
Born	(1837-10-27)October 27, 1837 Cedarville, Ohio, U.S.
Died	December 15, 1912(1912-12-15) (aged 75) London, England
Resting place	Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Elisabeth Mills ​ (m. 1881)​
Children	Ogden Mills Reid Jean Templeton Ward
Education	Miami University, Oxford (BA)
Signature

Whitelaw Reid (October 27, 1837 – December 15, 1912) was an American politician, diplomat and newspaper editor, as well as the author of Ohio in the War, a popular work of history.^[1]

After assisting Horace Greeley as editor of the New-York Tribune, Reid purchased the paper after Greeley's death in late 1872 and controlled it until his own death. The circulation grew to about 60,000 a day, but the weekly edition became less important. He invested heavily in new technology, such as the Hoe rotary printing press and the linotype machine, but bitterly fought against the unionized workers for control of his shop.

As a famous voice of the Republican Party, he was honored with appointments as ambassador to France and Great Britain, as well as numerous other honorific positions. Reid was the party's nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 1892 election. In 1898, President William McKinley appointed him to the American commission that negotiated peace with Spain after the Spanish–American War.^[2]