Richard Forman Reed (November 11, 1861 – May 31, 1926) was an American state legislator and justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi from 1912 to 1915.Leslie Southwick, Mississippi Supreme Court Elections: A Historical Perspective 1916-1996, 18 Miss. C. L. Rev. 115 (1997-1998).
Born in Jefferson County, Mississippi on November 11, 1861, Reed established his home in Natchez, Mississippi, where he entered the practice of law with his father in 1885."Judge Reed Is Buried At Natchez", Jackson Clarion-Ledger (June 2, 1926), p. 2. Reed represented Adams County, Mississippi, for one term in the Mississippi State Senate, where he unsuccessfully opposed a measure to transition to an elected judiciary. He was "regarded by many as perhaps the ablest lawyer in the Senate"."Reed is Ablest Lawyer in Senate", Natchez Democrat (January 21, 1912), p. 1.
Reed was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican nomination for a seat in the United States House of Representatives, but later that year was appointed by Governor Earl L. Brewer to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of Chief Justice Robert Burns Mayes."Richard Reed Is Judge Mayes' Successor", Hattiesburg Daily News (August 13, 1912), p. 1."Supreme Court In Session", The Grenada Sentinel (October 25, 1912), p. 15. After his appointment to the state supreme court, he was succeeded in the Senate by W. C. Martin. In addition to his judicial service, Reed was known as a writer, having written a piece titled The Nature Country describing the settlement of Natchez."Judge Reed Buried", The Commercial Appeal (June 2, 1926), p. 30. He lectured on law at Millsaps College.
Reed died at his home in Natchez on May 31, 1926, at the age of 64."Judge Reed Dies", Biloxi Sun Herald (May 31, 1926), p. 1.
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