Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-12-08


slept much of the night. But it also
said that he was unable TO retain
nourishment.
Thomas Brackett Reed was born in
Portland Maine, October Is, 1899, the
son of Thomas Bracket and Matilda
Mitchell Reed. The house in which he
was born is standing on Hancock
street. Portland, the next but one to
that in which the poet Longfellow was
born. His ancestry was sturdy, honest
and independent New England stock,
pioneers and Indian fighters in the ear
ly days of the province of Maine. His
childhood home was a comfortable, but
not AN affiuent one. His father was a
good citizen of average circumstances
who was watchman for many years
of his life.
Mr. Reeds early education was in the
public schools of his native city and
at the age of 16 he entered Bowdoin
College in the class of go. He came of
an old Congregational family and when
he went to college it was with the in
tention of studying for the ministry.
He soon gave up this idea, however.
His wife was the daughter of Con-
gational clergyman, and as long as
he lived in Portland he was a regular
attendant at that church. In college
he is remembered as a fun-loving
youngster, fond of philosophy and liter
ature, and with but little aptitude for
the sciences. 1t is on record that he
was a member of the first boat club or
ganized at the college when rowing
was in its infancy. During his course
he taught several terms of school to
earn money, one of them being In
Brunswick, a few miles out of the viii
lage. Late in his course he was made
a member of the Chi Psi fraternity. an
intercollegiate fraternity whose Bow
sdoin CHAPTER has since died. His COM
mencement part was on The Fear of
Death" and it was good enough to win
him one of the prizes given for excel
Ience in English composition. His
class graduated 81 young men, being
the largest class the college had then
sent out Among his classmates We're
Congressman Amos l.. Allen, William
WIdRcry Thomas. minister to Sweden;
Judge Joseph w. Symonds. James Lid
dell Phillips. the missionary; General
j. Marshall Brown, Granville Z.
Hawes. the eminent New York lawyer;
Augustine Jones, the head of the Prov
idence Friends school; Judge Horace
H. Burbank of Saco; Abner III. Davis,
clerk of the United States court, Port
Iand and many others who have won
distinction. OF his class, 29 fought for
the Union. six giving their lives in the
service.
After graduating from Bowdoin in
the summer of 1860. Mr.. Reed taught a
wear in the Portland High school. in
the meantime taking up the study of
law His law studies We're continued
in the office of Howard & Strout, Port
land. of which firm the junior partner
is now on the supreme bench of Maine
There he remained two years when he
had the Western fever and went to Cal
ifornia, going as a steerage passenger
in n sailing ship. He was admitted to
the California bar in 1863. and practiced
in San Jose. He also taught short
time in Stockton. But he did not ike
California. and after a year he returned
to Portland. In 1864 he secured a posi-
tion as assistant paymaster in the navy
and served for about year on the Mis-
sissip;.i and in the Gulf waters.
In 1868, Mr.. Reed was admitted to the
bar and opened a law office in Portland,
and soon he had won large practice.
He quickly became interested in local
politics. ana began to display those
qualities of aggressiveness and deter
mhation which, coupled with his abili-
ty and his devotion to lofty ideals.
have been conspicuous in all his polti-
cai career In 1868 he was made a
member Of the Portland delegation to
the Legislature, after sharp contest
in the caucuses, and was reelected for
a second term in 1869. In both sessions
he was member of the Judiciary COM
mittec In 1870 he was chosen one of
the senators from Cumberland county. !
In this same year he married Miss Su-
san H. Merrill, daughter of the late
Rev. 5. II. Merrill, who survives him.
They have had one child, a daughter.
While. he was member of the Maine
Senate in 1870. Mr.. Reed was chosen at
toruey general by the Legislature to
succeed Hon. William =. Frye, who
then entered upon his congressional ca
reer. Mr.. Reed continued attorney gem |
eral for three years, a term marked |
by the successful trial of many impor |
tant cases for the State. He was the |
youngest man who ever held that re |
spunsible office in Maine. For the next |
three years-lS14-1-he practiced his |
profession in Portland at the same
time serving the city as city solicitor
1t was in 1876. while still serving as
city solicitor, the he came forward as
the young mems candidate for the Re- |
publican congressional nomination in
his district.
II was contest which put his pow
ers To the supreme test. II was hard /
fight to get the nomination over Hon.
John H. Burleigh of South Berwick. |
then the representative from that dis /
triCt. and when the nomination was Sc
cured it. was hard fight to get the J
election. The Democratic party was
strong in the district then. and there 4.
were county jealouses within the Re
publican party that the young nominee
had to contend with. So close was the /
election that the result was in doubt
till midnight of election day. but Mr..
Reed won by a slight margin and took
his seat In the national House in 1877.
From that time until 1899 he remained |
a member of that body. being for a
large part of the time the most prom- '
nent and influential man among all
the hundreds who had membership in
To ba