Lawmaker Profile

Sen. Jack Reed

[D, RI]
Jack was born and raised in Cranston and grew up on Pontiac Avenue.  His father, Joe, was a World War II veteran and Cranston school janitor who worked his way up to become custodial supervisor of the city's school system.  His mother, Mary, was a homemaker who was unable to go to college herself, but made sure her three children studied hard and had the opportunity to pursue a higher education.  The Reed family benefited from the GI Bill - which helped countless veterans further their education and put a roof over their heads - and Jack's parents instilled in him the importance of serving his country and giving back to his community.

Jack grew up attending St. Matthew's Elementary School in Cranston and graduated from La Salle Academy in Providence.  He was nominated for an appointment to the United States Military Academy by U.S. Senator John O. Pastore.  After graduating from the Military Academy in 1971 near the top of his class and receiving an active duty commission in the Army, Reed earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.  Reed also went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1982.

 One of the highest honors and greatest privileges of Jack's life was commanding his fellow soldiers.  He served in the 82nd Airborne Division as an Infantry Platoon Leader, a Company Commander, and a Battalion Staff Officer.  He eventually joined the faculty at West Point, teaching cadets about economics and international relations as an Associate Professor within the Department of Social Sciences.  He served as a professor at the U.S. Military Academy until August of 1979 when he resigned from active duty as a Captain.  He continued serving in the U.S. Army Reserves until June of 1991.  Over the course of his military career he earned the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Ranger Tab, Senior Parachutist Badge, and Expert Infantry Badge.

After graduating from law school, Jack became an attorney in private practice, first working as an associate with the law firm of Sutherland, Asbill, & Brennan before moving back to Providence and working for the firm of Edwards & Angell.  He specialized in banking and securities law.

Reed served three terms in the Rhode Island State Senate, where he focused on housing, children's welfare, and mental health issues.  The people of Rhode Island then elected him to serve three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.  

In 1996, the people of Rhode Island elected Jack Reed to succeed Claiborne Pell as Rhode Island's 46th United States Senator.

A member of the powerful Appropriations Committee, which controls the funding of the federal government, Senator Reed has been described by the Boston Globe as "a relentless advocate for his home state."  As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, he works tirelessly to direct federal funding to the Ocean State to create jobs, strengthen its infrastructure, and support economic and community development initiatives. 

He has supported clean water projects to ensure both a healthy economy and a healthy environment.  And he authored a trio of laws to improve children's health care and ensure our youngest patients get the help they need when they need it- the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act; the Trauma Care Systems Planning and Development Act; and the Better Pharmaceuticals and Devices for Children Act (BPDCA).

Senator Reed has led efforts to strengthen Rhode Island's transportation network in order to bring more jobs and businesses to Rhode Island and better link our state to the global economy.

Reed also serves as Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, where he has played a pivotal role in safeguarding our nation.  In 2002, he voted against giving President George W. Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq because it was an ill-planned diversion from the war on terrorism.  But he has always worked across the aisle to support our troops, and was instrumental in convincing Defense Secretary Robert Gates to continue serving in the Obama Administration and implement the plan to withdraw forces from Iraq.

As a senior member of the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Reed authored several key pieces of the historic Wall Street reform bill and has been nationally recognized for his dedication to protecting U.S. consumers.  When taxpayers were forced to invest in banks to save the economy from total collapse, Jack Reed wrote the law ensuring that taxpayers would share in the rewards when the banks recovered.  As a direct result of Reed's provision, taxpayers have earned more than $9.4 billion in additional dividends - money that would have otherwise been kept by the rescued banks.

He also helped create the powerful new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to give American families the tools to fight unfair and abusive financial products and services, as well as a new Office of Financial Research (OFR) that will help provide early warnings to regulators about future financial problems.

Recently, he authored laws to create a new affordable rental housing trust fund, improve consumer disclosures on mortgages, and address the needs of middle-class families who are struggling with the fallout from the housing crisis.

Senator Reed has been a leading voice on college affordability and student loan debt issues.  He helped write laws preventing interest rate increases on new loans to millions of college students, and fought efforts to increase student borrowing costs.  

And to help get our country back to full employment, he wrote a work-sharing law that provides an estimated $500 million for business-state partnerships to help prevent layoffs. Nationwide, Jack Reed's law has helped save more than 92,000 jobs since 2012, including about 1,000 in Rhode Island. 

Jack Reed and his wife, Julia Hart Reed, have a daughter, Emily.