Reid, Harry Mason

Reid, Harry Mason Reid, Harry Mason, 1939â€", U.S. senator from Nevada, b. Searchlight, Nev., grad. George Washington Univ. law school, 1964. A Democrat, he served in the Nevada state assembly (1969â€"70), as lieutenant governor (1970â€"74), and as chairman (1977â€"81) of the Nevada Gaming Commission before winning the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he was Senate Democratic whip (1999â€"2005) before he served as Senate minority leader (2005â€"7, 2015â€"17) and majority leader (2007â€"15). A moderate conservative known for his amiable manner, he also was a tough and tenacious legislator and party leader. During his more than three decades in Congress, he secured federal wilderness protection for several million acres in Nevada. He retired from the Senate in 2017. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. History: B iographies