Harry Reid

Harry Reid
Official portrait, 2009
Senate Majority Leader
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015
Whip	Dick Durbin
Preceded by	Bill Frist
Succeeded by	Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader
In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Whip	Dick Durbin
Preceded by	Mitch McConnell
Succeeded by	Chuck Schumer
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Whip	Dick Durbin
Preceded by	Tom Daschle
Succeeded by	Mitch McConnell
Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2017
Vice Chair	Chuck Schumer[a]
Preceded by	Tom Daschle
Succeeded by	Chuck Schumer
Senate Minority Whip
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Don Nickles
Succeeded by	Dick Durbin
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Don Nickles
Succeeded by	Don Nickles
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Wendell Ford
Succeeded by	Don Nickles
Senate Majority Whip
In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Don Nickles
Succeeded by	Mitch McConnell
In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001
Leader	Tom Daschle
Preceded by	Don Nickles
Succeeded by	Don Nickles
United States Senator from Nevada
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Paul Laxalt
Succeeded by	Catherine Cortez Masto
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 1st district
In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	James Santini (at-large)
Succeeded by	James Bilbray
Chair of the Nevada Gaming Commission
In office March 27, 1977 – January 5, 1981
Appointed by	Mike O'Callaghan
Preceded by	Peter Echeverria
Succeeded by	Carl Dodge
25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
In office January 4, 1971 – January 5, 1975
Governor	Mike O'Callaghan
Preceded by	Edward Fike
Succeeded by	Robert Rose
Member of the Nevada Assembly from the 4th district
In office January 6, 1969 – January 4, 1971
Preceded by	Edward Fike
Succeeded by	Robert Rose
Personal details
Born	Harry Mason Reid Jr. (1939-12-02)December 2, 1939 Searchlight, Nevada, U.S.
Died	December 28, 2021(2021-12-28) (aged 82) Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Landra Gould ​ (m. 1959)​
Children	5, including Rory
Alma mater	Southern Utah University Utah State University (BA) George Washington University (JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website (archived)
Harry Reid's voice Harry Reid honors retiring Senator Arlen Specter Recorded December 15, 2010

Harry Mason Reid Jr. (/riːd/; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015.

After earning an undergraduate degree from Utah State University and a Juris Doctor degree from George Washington University, Reid began his public career as the city attorney for Henderson, Nevada, before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968. Gubernatorial candidate Mike O'Callaghan, Reid's former boxing coach, chose Reid as his running mate in 1970; following their victory Reid served as the 25th lieutenant governor of Nevada from 1971 to 1975. After being defeated in races for the United States Senate and mayor of Las Vegas, Reid served as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1981. From 1983 to 1987, Reid represented Nevada's 1st district in the United States House of Representatives.

Reid was elected to the United States Senate in 1986 and served in the Senate from 1987 to 2017. He served as the Senate Democratic whip from 1999 to 2005 before succeeding Tom Daschle as Senate Minority Leader. The Democrats won control of the Senate after the 2006 United States Senate elections, and Reid became the Senate Majority Leader in 2007. He held that position for the final two years of George W. Bush's presidency and for the first six years of Barack Obama's presidency. As majority leader, Reid helped pass major legislation of the Obama administration, such as the Affordable Care Act, the Dodd–Frank Act, and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In 2013, under Reid's leadership, the Senate Democratic majority controversially invoked the "nuclear option" to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for presidential nominations, other than nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court.^[1] Republicans took control of the Senate following the 2014 United States Senate elections, and Reid served as Senate Minority Leader from 2015 until his retirement in 2017. Reid is Nevada's longest-serving senator, surpassing John P. Jones's record by two days.^[2]

Reid was succeeded as the Senate Democratic leader by Chuck Schumer, whose leadership bid had been endorsed by Reid. Along with Alben W. Barkley and Mike Mansfield, Reid was one of only three senators to have served at least eight years as majority leader. Harry Reid International Airport, which serves the Las Vegas Valley, was named after Reid on December 14, 2021, two weeks before his death.^[3] The airport was previously named after Pat McCarran, one of Reid's Senate predecessors.

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