Chester I. Reed

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =Hon.

|name = Chester Isham Reed

|honorific-suffix =

|image =Chester I. Reed.png

|imagesize =

|smallimage =

|caption =

|office =Associate Justice of the
Massachusetts Superior Court

|appointer =Alexander H. Bullock

|predecessor =Thomas Russell{{Citation| last=Coolidge |first=Henry D. | title = A Manual for the Use of the General Court| page = 256 | publisher = Massachusetts General Court| location = Boston, Ma. | date = November 1895}}

|successor =John William Bacon{{Citation |last=Hurd |first=Duane Hamilton | title = History of Bristol County, Massachusetts: with biographical sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Vol. I | page = xxxi| publisher = J. Lewis & CO. | location = Philadelphia, PA | year = 1890}}

|term_start =1867

|term_end =1871

|office2 =Massachusetts Attorney General

|governor2 =John Albion Andrew
William Claflin

|predecessor2 =Dwight Foster

|successor2 =Charles Allen

|term_start2 =1864

|term_end2 =April 20, 1867

|office3 =Member of the
Massachusetts Senate{{Citation|last= Borden|first= Alanson| title =Our Country and its People: a Descriptive and Biographical Record of Bristol County Massachusetts| page = 668 | publisher = The Boston History Company| location = Boston, MA | year = 1899}}
North Bristol District{{Citation| last=Gifford |first=Stephen Nye| title = A Manual for the Use of the General Court| page = 197 | publisher = Massachusetts General Court| location = Boston, Ma. | year =1862}}

|predecessor3 =

|successor3 =

|term_start3 =1859

|term_end3 =1859

|term_start4 =1862

|term_end4 =1862

|successor5 =

|office6 =Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
Bristol District

|predecessor6 =

|successor6 =

|term_start6 =1849{{Citation|last= Capen|first= Nahum| title =The Massachusetts State Record and Year Book of General Information, Volume III | page = 48 | publisher = James French| location = Boston, Massachusetts| year = 1849}}

|term_end6 =1849

|birth_date =November 23, 1823

|birth_place =Taunton, Massachusetts{{Citation|last=Davis|first= William Thomas| title =Bench and Bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Volume I| page = 363 | publisher = The Boston History Company| location =Boston, Massachusetts | year = 1895}}

|death_date ={{death date and age|1873|9|2|1823|11|23}}

|death_place =White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia

|alma_mater =Taunton High School; Bristol Academy; Brown University

| party =Republican

|profession =Attorney{{Citation |last=Hurd |first=Duane Hamilton Hurd| title = History of Bristol County, Massachusetts: with biographical sketches of Many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1 | page = 10 | publisher = J. Lewis & CO. | location = Philadelphia, PA | year = 1883}}

|spouse = Elizabeth Y. Allyn, m. February 24, 1851.

|children =Sybil Reed; Chester Allyn Reed

|residence =

|signature=Chester I. Reed signature.png

}}

Chester Isham Reed (November 23, 1823 – September 2, 1873) was an American attorney who served in both branches of the Massachusetts legislature, as Attorney General of Massachusetts, and as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

Early life

Reed was born to William and Elizabeth Deane (Dennis) Reed on November 23, 1823, in Taunton, Massachusetts.{{Citation| last=Emery |first=Samuel Hopkins| title = History of Taunton, Massachusetts: From Its Settlement to the Present Time| page = 556 | publisher = D. Mason & Company| location = Syracuse, New York | year =1893}}

Education

Reed attended Taunton High School, Bristol Academy and Brown University. Because of his father's adverse circumstances Reed was forced to leave Brown University. Reed moved to Gardiner, Maine, to study law. After he completed his study of law, Reed moved back to Taunton

Newspaper employment

After he moved back to Taunton, Massachusetts Reed was, for about a year, editor of the Old Colony Republican newspaper.

Massachusetts Legislature

At the age of 26 Reed was elected to represent Taunton in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Reed was in the Massachusetts Senate in 1858 and 1862. While in the Senate of 1862 Reed served on the Joint Standing Committees on Railways and Canals,{{Citation| last=Gifford |first=Stephen Nye| title = A Manual for the Use of the General Court| page = 241 | publisher = Massachusetts General Court| location =Boston, Massachusetts | year =1862}} and on the Subject of Apportioning the State into Congressional Districts.{{Citation| last=Gifford |first=Stephen Nye| title = A Manual for the Use of the General Court| page = 245 | publisher = Massachusetts General Court| location = Boston, Massachusetts | year =1862}}

Marriage and children

On February 24, 1851, Reed married Elizabeth Y. Allyn of New Bedford, Massachusetts. The couple had two children, Sybil Reed, and Chester Allyn Reed.

Law career

In 1848 Reed entered into a law partnership with Anselm Bassett. Reed practiced law in the firm of Bassett & Reed for the next 15 years.

Public Service Career

In 1864 Reed was elected as a Republican to the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Reed serves as the Massachusetts Attorney General until 1867 when he was appointed as Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court.

Reed resigned from the Superior Court in 1870.

Death

Reed died on September 2, 1873 in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, where he had gone to improve his health.

References

{{reflist}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-legal}}

{{succession box | title=Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court | before=Thomas Russell| after=John William Bacon

| years=1867–1871}}

{{succession box | title=Attorney General of Massachusetts | before=Dwight Foster | after=Charles Allen

| years=1864 – April 20, 1867}}

{{s-off}}

{{succession box | title=Member of the Massachusetts Senate | before=| after=| years=1859–1859}}

{{succession box | title=Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | before=| after=| years= – }}

{{s-end}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Chester I.}}

Category:1823 births

Category:1873 deaths

Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Category:Massachusetts state senators

Category:Massachusetts attorneys general

Category:People from Taunton, Massachusetts

Category:19th-century American newspaper editors

Category:19th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court