John Reed (judge)

{{Short description|New Zealand judge}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2025}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2017}}

File:John Ranken Reed 1907 (cropped).jpg

Sir John Ranken Reed {{post-nominals|country=NZL|CBE|KC|size=85%}} (26 December 1864 – 22 April 1955) was a New Zealand judge.

Reed was the eldest son of George McCullagh Reed, a newspaper proprietor, and Jessie Chalmers Reed (née Ranken). He was born in Ipswich, Queensland, where his father had moved to in 1861 to be the Presbyterian minister.{{DNZB|last=Rudman|first=Brian C.|id=2r8|title=George McCullagh Reed|accessdate=23 April 2017}} His brother was Vernon Reed.{{cite book | pages=210f | editor-last = Scholefield | editor-first = Guy | editor-link = Guy Scholefield | title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : M–Addenda | volume = II | year = 1940 | publisher = Department of Internal Affairs | location = Wellington | url = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v2.pdf | accessdate = 27 April 2015}} He received his education at Auckland Grammar School, Dunedin High School, Victoria College, Jersey, and Clare College in the University of Cambridge, England.{{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District |year=1902 |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc02Cycl-t1-body1-d1-d27-d22.html#name-424719-mention |publisher=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand |author=Cyclopedia Company Limited |accessdate= 13 April 2015 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Barristers and Solicitors}} He served his articles with Devore and Cooper in Auckland and was admitted as a barrister in June 1887. He had a practice in the Bay of Islands and relocated to Auckland in early 1896, where he joined William Thorne. In 1898, Reed set up his own practice in Auckland.{{cite news|title=King's Counsel|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19121107.2.41.10|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=Auckland Star|volume=XLIII|issue=267|date=7 November 1912|page=5}} In 1900, he took James Every Stephen Bailey into a partnership under the banner of Reed and Bailey. In 1912, Roland Perceval Towle joined the partnership, and their practice was known as Reed, Bailey and Towle. Bailey retired at the end of 1919 and two of the staff became partners instead, and the practice was then known as Reed, Towle, Hellaby, and Cooper.{{cite news|title=Page 8 Advertisements Column 2|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TO19200221.2.15.2|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=Observer|volume=XL|issue=25|date=21 February 1920|page=8}}

For a time, Reed was president of the Auckland Law Society. Outside of the judiciary, Reed had a strong interest in military matters and in 1911, he was appointed Judge Advocate General of the New Zealand Territorial Forces.{{cite news|title=Five New Appointments|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19121107.2.112|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=The Evening Post|volume=LXXXIV|issue=112|date=7 November 1912|page=8}} In November 1912, Reed was appointed King's Counsel. In February 1921, he was appointed judge to the Supreme Court; this was the first of two appointments triggered by the retirement of Justice Chapman and the resignation of Justice Cooper.{{cite news|title=Supreme Court Judges|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19210203.2.93|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=The New Zealand Herald|volume=LVIII|issue=17696|date=3 February 1921|page=6}}{{cite news|title=Mr Justice Reed|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NA19210203.2.17|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=The Northern Advocate|date=3 February 1921|page=2}} He retired from his practice at the end of February 1921 but the name did not change as Reed's son, Mervyn Ranken Reed, carried on as one of the partners.{{cite news|title=Legal Notices|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19210305.2.16.4|accessdate=27 April 2015|work=The New Zealand Herald|volume=LVIII|issue=17722|date=5 March 1921|page=5}} Reed was also a prominent Freemason, serving as the Auckland district grand master for seven years.{{cite news | url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19360916.2.128 | title=Judge to retire | date=16 September 1936 | work=New Zealand Herald | accessdate=27 April 2015 | page=15}}

Reed was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (military division) in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours.[https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13457/page/2021 The Edinburgh Gazette: (Supplement) no. 34296. p. 3996.] 23 June 1936. Retrieved 27 April 2015. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.{{cite news | url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19350506.2.12 | title=Official jubilee medals | date=6 May 1935 | volume=CXIX | issue=105 | work=Evening Post | accessdate=27 April 2015 | page=4}} He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1936 King's Birthday Honours.{{London Gazette |issue= 34296 |date=23 June 1936 |page=3996 |supp=y }}