In 1996, the people of Rhode Island elected Reed to succeed Claiborne Pell (D-RI) as Rhode Island's 46th United States Senator.
Prior to serving in the Senate, Reed was a three-term Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District.
His parents' lessons helped Reed excel at LaSalle Academy in Providence and earned him an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 1971. After graduating from West Point and receiving an active duty commission in the United States Army, Reed attended the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he received a Masters of Public Policy. 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.
Reed resigned from the Army as a Captain in 1979 and enrolled at Harvard Law School. In 1982, he graduated from Harvard and served a year as an associate with the Washington, DC law firm of Sutherland, Asbill, and Brennan. In 1983, he returned to Rhode Island and joined the Providence law firm of Edwards and Angell.
Reed was elected to the Rhode Island State Senate in 1984 and served for three terms.
