U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is Rhode Island’s senior senator and a former Army Ranger. In 2006, Time magazine noted: “Reed is a serious, intellectually honest veteran and an expert on defense issues in the Senate.”
First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996, Reed is one of only a handful of members in the history of the Senate to simultaneously serve on both the Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee, which controls the purse strings of Congress.
Reed is widely recognized for his work on education and health care policy. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Reed has supported efforts to expand access to affordable health care. He also has worked to increase the availability of financial aid for students who have the talent but not the resources to go to college.
As a senior member of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Reed’s key economic priorities include promoting responsible budgets, bringing business to Rhode Island, and strengthening the national economy. He has gained national recognition for leading the effort to preserve the low-income tax credit, a tool that has helped fund construction of affordable housing for more than 3 million Americans.
Jack Reed was born and raised in Cranston. His father, Joe, was a Cranston school janitor who worked his way up to become custodial supervisor of the city’s school system. Both his father and his mother, Mary, taught him the values of hard work, integrity, commitment and respect for all people.
He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. After graduating from West Point in 1971 and receiving an active duty commission in the Army, he attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and Harvard Law School.
Reed, an Army Ranger and a paratrooper, served in the 82nd Airborne Division as an infantry platoon leader, a company commander and a battalion staff officer. He returned to West Point in 1978 as an associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences.
He served in the R.I. state Senate from 1984-90 and the U.S. House of Representatives from 1990-96.
Senator Reed is married to Julia Hart Reed. They have a daughter, Emily, and make their home in Jamestown. •
Providence Mayor David N. Cicilline joined U.S. Sen. Jack Reed in speaking before the presentation of the 2007 Business Excellence Awards. Additional information, including excerpts of their comments, is available in our online event report at www.PBN.com.
