James Alexander Reed (November 9, 1861 September 9, 1944) was an American politician. November 9 is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 52 days remaining. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... September 9 is the 252nd day of the year (253rd in leap years). ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Reed was born on a farm in Richland County, Ohio. He moved with his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa at the age of 3. He became a lawyer and moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1887. Richland County is a county located in the state of Ohio. ... City Hall, Cedar Rapids, Iowa Downtown Cedar Rapids, including Mays Island Cedar Rapids is a city located in Linn County, Iowa. ... Kansas City is a city covering parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties in Missouri, USA. Although it is the largest city in Jackson County, the suburb of Independence is the county seat. ...

Reed served as a city councilor of Kansas City from 1897 to 1898, as prosecutor of Jackson County from 1898 to 1900, and as mayor of Kansas City from 1900 to 1904. In 1910, he was elected to the United States Senate from Missouri as a Democrat. He served in the Senate for three terms, from 1911 to 1929, when he decided to retire. In the Senate, Reed distinguished himself as an opponent of corruption and government programs that he felt would not work. Unlike many members of his party, he opposed the League of Nations and also opposed prohibition of alcohol. He tried and failed to seek the Democratic nomination for President. He served as chairman of the Committee on Weights and Measures from 1917 to 1921. A mayor (from the Latin maīor, meaning larger,greater) is the politician who serves as chief executive official of some types of municipalities. ... Seal of the Senate The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the Congress of the United States, the other being the House of Representatives. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ... The League of Nations was an international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. ... The examples and perspective in this article do not represent a worldwide view. ...

In 1929, as Reed was leaing the Senate, H.L. Mencken wrote a tribute to him, praising Reed for his opposition to what Menkin called "demagogues" and "charlitans" from both political parties. Reed then retired from politics and moved back to Missouri where he continued to practice law. He died at his summer home in Oscoda County, Michigan. H. L. (Henry Louis) Mencken (September 12, 1880 - January 29, 1956) was a twentieth century journalist and social critic, a cynic and a freethinker, known as the Sage of Baltimore and the American Nietzsche. He is often regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the early 20th... Oscoda County is a county located in the state of Michigan. ...

External Link

http://pages.prodigy.net/krtq73aa/ownman.htm Mencken's tribute to Reed