Harry Reid

**Harry Mason Reid** (December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American politician. He was the United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He was a member of the United States Democratic Party, and was their leader in the Senate. Earlier, Reid was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1981 until 1987 and Lieutenant Governor of Nevada between 1971 until 1975.

## Early life

Reid was born on December 2, 1939 in Searchlight, Nevada. He studied at Southern Utah University, at Utah State University, and at George Washington University.

## Career

He returned to Nevada after law school and served as Henderson city attorney before being elected to the Nevada Assembly in 1968. In 1970, at age 30, Reid was chosen by O'Callaghan as his running mate for Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. Reid and his mentor O'Callaghan won the race and Reid served as lieutenant governor from 1971 until 1974. Reid became the youngest lieutenant governor in Nevada's history. When he ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Alan Bible. He lost by fewer than 600 votes to former Governor Paul Laxalt. In 1975, Reid ran for Mayor of Las Vegas and lost to Bill Briare.

### Representative

Nevada had only a single at-large member in the United States House of Representatives, but population growth in the 1970s caused the state to pick up a second district. Reid won the Democratic nomination for the Nevada's 1st congressional district, based in Las Vegas, in 1982, and easily won the general election. He served two terms in the House, from 1983 to 1987.

### Senator

In 1986, Reid won the Democratic nomination for the seat of retiring two-term current Republican Senator Paul Laxalt. He defeated former at-large Congressman Jim Santini, a Democrat who had turned Republican, in the November election. He coasted to reelection in 1992. However, he barely defeated 1st District Congressman John Ensign in 1998 in the midst of a statewide Republican sweep.

In 2004, Reid won reelection with 61 percent of the vote, gaining the endorsement of several Republicans.

Ensign was elected to Nevada's other Senate seat in 2000. He and Reid have a very good relationship, despite their bruising contest in 1998. The two frequently worked together on Nevada issues until Ensign was forced to resign his Senate seat.

While Reid won the Democratic nomination with 75% of the vote in the June 8 primary, he faced a competitive general election for the 2010 Senate race in Nevada. Reid engaged in a $1 million media campaign to "reintroduce himself" to Nevada's voters. He defeated Republican challenger Sharron Angle in the general election.

In 2015, Reid announced his retirement from the senate. In November 2016, Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who he supported to replace him, won the election.

## Personal life

He was married to Landra Gould. They had 5 children.

In May 2018, Reid had surgery for pancreatic cancer at Johns Hopkins Cancer Center after a tumor was found in his pancreas during a routine screening. In a January 2019 interview with _The New York Times_, it was revealed that Reid was confined to a desk at his home and was unable to move without the aid of a walker.

Reid died of pancreatic cancer at his home in Henderson, Nevada on December 28, 2021, at the age of 82.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Harry Reid
- **image**: Harry Reid official portrait 2009.jpg
- **jr/sr**: United States Senator
- **state**: Nevada
- **term start**: January 3, 1987
- **term end**: January 3, 2017
- **predecessor**: Paul Laxalt
- **successor**: Catherine Cortez Masto
- **office1**: Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Minority Leader
- **deputy1**: Dick Durbin
- **term start1**: January 3, 2015
- **term end1**: January 3, 2017
- **predecessor1**: Mitch McConnell
- **successor1**: Chuck Schumer
- **deputy2**: Dick Durbin
- **term start2**: January 3, 2005
- **term end2**: January 3, 2007
- **predecessor2**: Tom Daschle
- **successor2**: Mitch McConnell
- **office3**: Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Majority Leader
- **deputy3**: Dick Durbin
- **term start3**: January 3, 2007
- **term end3**: January 3, 2015
- **predecessor3**: Bill Frist
- **successor3**: Mitch McConnell
- **office4**: Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Minority Whip
- **leader4**: Tom Daschle
- **term start4**: January 3, 2003
- **term end4**: January 3, 2005
- **predecessor4**: Don Nickles
- **successor4**: Dick Durbin
- **leader5**: Tom Daschle
- **term start5**: January 20, 2001
- **term end5**: June 6, 2001
- **predecessor5**: Don Nickles
- **successor5**: Don Nickles
- **leader6**: Tom Daschle
- **term start6**: January 3, 1999
- **term end6**: January 3, 2001
- **predecessor6**: Wendell H. Ford, Wendell Ford
- **successor6**: Don Nickles
- **office7**: Party leaders of the United States Senate, Senate Majority Whip
- **leader7**: Tom Daschle
- **term start7**: June 6, 2001
- **term end7**: January 3, 2003
- **predecessor7**: Don Nickles
- **successor7**: Mitch McConnell
- **leader8**: Tom Daschle
- **term start8**: January 3, 2001
- **term end8**: January 20, 2001
- **predecessor8**: Don Nickles
- **successor8**: Don Nickles
- **state9**: Nevada
- **term start9**: January 3, 1983
- **term end9**: January 3, 1987
- **predecessor9**: James David Santini, James Santini
- **successor9**: James Bilbray
- **office10**: 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada
- **governor10**: Mike O'Callaghan
- **term start10**: January 4, 1971
- **term end10**: January 1975
- **predecessor10**: Edward Fike
- **successor10**: Robert E. Rose, Robert Rose
- **birth name**: Harry Mason Reid
- **birth place**: Searchlight, Nevada, Searchlight, Nevada, United States, U.S.
- **death place**: Henderson, Nevada, Henderson, Nevada, U.S.
- **party**: Democratic Party (United States), Democratic
- **spouse**: Landra Gould
- **children**: Lana
Rory Reid, Rory
Leif
Josh
Key
- **alma mater**: Southern Utah University
Utah State University, Utah State University, Logan
George Washington University Law School, George Washington University
- **signature**: Harry Reid Signature.svg