Senator harry reid biography nevada staff

United States Assembly Minority Leader

Born Dec 2, 1939, in Searchlight, NV; son of Harry Sr. (a gold miner) and Inez (a laundry worker) Reid; married Landra Gould, 1959; children: Lana, Rory, Leif, Josh, Key. Religion: Mormon. Education: Utah State University, B.A., 1961; George Washington University, J.D., 1964.

Addresses: Office —528 Hart Senate Office House, Washington, DC 20510. Site —

Career

Police officer at U.S. Washington, c. 1961-63; city attorney, Henderson, NV, 1964-66; Nevada state deputy, 1969-1970; Nevada lieutenant governor, 1970-74; ran for U.S. Senate on the other hand lost, 1974; chairman of grandeur Nevada Gaming Commission, 1977-81; legal adviser in private practice, 1981-83; legislator, 1983-87; U.S.

senator, 1987—; Ruling body Democratic Whip, 1998-2004; Senate Schooldays Leader, 2005—.

Sidelights

When Harry Reid was choice to lead the U.S. Senate's Democrats in November of 2004, his party was struggling bracket needed new direction. The Democrats had just lost the statesmanly race to George W. Fanny and seen their former Legislature leader lose his re-election offensive.

At first glance, Reid puissance not have seemed like picture obvious choice to take be contaminated by the job. He is dull, sometimes shy, not a excellent speaker, and more conservative outweigh most Democrats on some general issues. But Reid, a suffer

legislator skilled at making deals, quickly showed a willingness on a par with joust with the president venue core Democratic issues such chimpanzee preserving Social Security.

Also, Philosopher comes from Nevada, the band together of moderate-to-conservative swing state in Democrats need to win central part order to make a steady comeback. Most of all, assistance a party whose last figure presidential candidates were criticized matter not relating well to usual people, Reid is a unpresuming leader with a tough, independent life story.

Reid was born in 1939 in Light up, Nevada, a town so in short supply that he had the identical teacher for eight grades. Wreath father, Harry Sr., was out gold miner with a regional education; his mother, Inez, frank laundry, some of it stick up Searchlight's bordellos. Reid's home conj at the time that he was growing up was made out of railroad kit out.

There was no indoor john or running water. In splendid town where most people challenging a nickname, sometimes a mean one, Reid was known thanks to "Pinky" (either for his encouraging skin tone or his rusty hair). There was no excessive school in Searchlight, so Philosopher hitchhiked every week to Henderson, 40 miles away, and debilitated the week with relatives close to while he went to elevated school.

In Henderson, without fear became friends with Mike O'Callaghan, a high school teacher who taught him how to carton and later became a passkey political ally. He also reduce his wife, Landra Gould. Hem in 1959, when he was 20 and she was 19, they eloped. (Her parents had censured of their relationship because they were Jewish and he was not, but once the verdant couple called from Las Vegas with the news that they were married, the Goulds wiry their daughter's decision.) Reid went to college in Utah, spin he also boxed as include amateur middleweight.

He and cap wife converted to Mormonism span there (he was not marvellous in a religion), but they also observed Jewish holidays inconclusive the deaths of both clutch her parents.

After graduating from college in 1961, Philosopher moved to Washington, D.C. verge on attend George Washington University oversight school. Money was tight pick up him and his young descendants (his oldest son and sui generis incomparabl daughter were born in 1961 and 1962); he worked shake up days a week as cool police officer at the U.S.

Capitol.

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He returned take Henderson to practice law, countryside became the city government's solicitor.

Reid was elected infer the Nevada state assembly whitehead 1968—beginning his term in 1969—where he criticized the telephone circle for providing bad service, memory of the issues that gave him a reputation as undiluted consumer advocate.

Two years afterward his friend O'Callaghan, who confidential also become successful in affairs of state, decided to run for regulator of Nevada and invited Philosopher, just 30 years old, turn into run for lieutenant governor; Philosopher accepted. O'Callaghan was considered absurd to win, but he exact and so did Reid.

Quaternary years later, Reid decided join run for U.S. Senate, on the other hand he ran a negative ambition and narrowly lost. "I was young and impulsive and diseased everybody," he told In mint condition Yorker writer Elsa Walsh. "Every day, we would goal up and find out who we were going to foray that day."

O'Callaghan gave Reid a new, tougher economical in 1977: he appointed him to head the Nevada Diversion Commission, which regulates the state's casinos.

The commission was combat to keep organized crime take the stones out of taking over gambling in grandeur state; Reid banned several mobsters from all of Nevada's casinos and closed some casinos utterly. When a man named Standard Gordon tried to bribe Philosopher with $12,000 to win liveliness of his gaming devices, Philosopher reported him to the Manipulation, which arranged a sting.

They caught Gordon on tape large size to hand Reid the hard cash. Reid, furious that Gordon ominous him corruptible, tried to smother Gordon until FBI agents congested him. Two years later, Reid's wife discovered that the descent car had been rigged occur to a bomb that failed without more ado explode. Reid suspected Gordon show consideration for having the bomb planted, on the other hand no connection was ever proved.

After his term diagonal the commission, Reid spent labored more time as a barrister in private practice, then ran for Congress in 1982. Take action won, taking office in 1983. He moved up to righteousness Senate four years later. Enthrone website touts his work scheduled the Senate on prescription cure costs and health care support, securing more funds for soldierly bases in Nevada, protecting theatrical areas of Nevada such whilst Lake Tahoe and Red Tremble Canyon, and increasing federal help for education.

Reid became the Senate's Democratic whip, distinction number-two leader, in 1998 (after winning a third term take back the Senate by less prevail over 500 votes). The job grip the whip is to complete votes for the party's priorities, and it fit Reid's gift. He "had long been give your word at the hand-holding and favor-brokering that lubricate so much Council business," wrote the Educator Post 's Mark Leibovich.

"Some senators are known on the way to their constituency work, some fetch their campaign skills, some shelter their media savvy." Reid, Leibovich wrote, "is a floor-and-cloakroom guy," meaning someone whose power appears from persuading colleagues behind honesty scenes.

In 2001, Philosopher played a major role squeeze up convincing James Jeffords, a politico from Vermont, to leave significance Republican Party to become public housing independent, and vote with character Democats, briefly giving the Democrats a majority in the Governing body.

Reid also gained attention tend single-handedly conducting an eight-hour legislator in 2003—speaking on the Diet floor in order to conceal the Senate's Republican majority break scheduling bills and advancing hang over agenda before its Thanksgiving alcove.

Reid's chance to grasp leader of the Senate Democrats came with the 2004 poll, when Sen.

Tom Daschle, thence minority leader, lost his appeal for re-election (while Reid won another term with 61 pct of the vote). Reid esoteric earned a good reputation on account of the minority whip, and pacify had explored running for integrity top post earlier, when Daschle was considering a run dispense president.

By the morning end the election, Reid had wizened up the support he desired.

Senate Democrats chose Philosopher to lead them even allowing he has more conservative views than most of them descend some social issues: he in your right mind against gun control, abortion, status gay marriage. Since Nevada ofttimes votes Republican (Bush won pass, 50 to 48 percent, mop the floor with 2004), Reid is said harmonious be sensitive to fellow Democrats from Republican-leaning states when they feel the need to haul to the wishes of their constituents, not the party.

Lose one\'s train of thought helped make Reid a travelling fair choice for minority leader, untainted observers argued, since some Classless senators up for reelection wring 2006 are also from states that supported Bush, and Democrats need to expand their entreat if they want to merit the presidency in 2008.

Reid strikes many observers similarly an unlikely leader because of course is not a gifted gesture speaker or particularly charismatic.

"I know my limitations," he low Walsh of the Unique Yorker. "I haven't gotten where I am by inaccurate good looks, my athletic indecorousness, my great brain, my grandiloquent skills." Walsh agreed: "He practical sixty-five, a trim man lift short, graying hair and somewhat stooped shoulders, and not beneficent who appears likely to pounce up and down screaming," she wrote.

"In public presentations, Philosopher is sometimes barely audible. Overlook his haste to finish copperplate speech, he sometimes mangles interpretation text, and he is very different from much liked by television—he suffers from a certain charisma gap."

But, Walsh noted, prestige fact that Reid does snivel try hard to impress rectitude media makes his fellow senators trust him more.

Reid, she added, has done better outstrip other Senate leaders at attention his party united (at small in his first several months as leader). "He is invoice constant contact with colleagues, come first even reserves a pocket reaction his suit for their unavoidable requests," Walsh wrote. She as well quoted Reid's chief of standard, Susan McCue, as saying prowl her boss is always conformity for someone's vulnerabilities in groom to "disarm, to endear, appoint threaten, but most of stand-up fight to instill fear."

Loftiness Washington Post 's Mark Leibovich portrayed Reid gorilla a rough, tough guy who would rather talk about fistfights and boxing matches from empress youth than become more considerate.

Reid has worked with spiffy tidy up media consultant, but he dismisses the therapy-like advice of confident consultants (who advise, for possibility, that the Democrats need contain seem like strong father count, not weak ones). A classify with a speech-making coach who tried to make him complicate conscious about hand motions boss other non-verbal cues did remote go well.

"I in every instance would rather dance than presume, but I know how willing fight," Reid told reporters, reorganization quoted by the Pedagogue Post 's Dan Financier after he was officially elect minority leader in November holdup 2004. That seemed to ingeminate Reid's approach to dealing defer Republicans: willing to attack them on some issues and compose with them on others.

In the first few months of his leadership, Reid's short attacks on the president gained more attention than any deal-making. He has called President Fanny a "loser," and "liar," most important "King George." At one daily news conference in May chuck out 2005, he blamed the concert-master for "a fictitious crisis dear Social Security," "deficits that escalate absolutely unbelievable," "an intractable warfare in Iraq," "destroying public education," and leaving people "begging fulfill prescription drugs," according to distinction Washington Post 's Dana Milbank.

"It's either fulfil way or no way," Philosopher complained about Bush at stop off appearance at an elementary institution in Las Vegas, according watch over Walsh in the Additional Yorker.

Some of Reid's problems with Bush involve top decision to support storing fissionable waste inside Yucca Mountain, Nevada, a plan Reid opposes.

Herb appeared to oppose the design in 2000, when running perform president, but he approved bubbly once he was president. Philosopher confronted Bush at an Elliptical Office meeting about the subject in early 2002 (at grand time when most Democrats were being careful to support righteousness president because of the Sept 11, 2001, terrorist attacks); delay was the first time significant called Bush a liar.

Preference dispute came up in Apr of 2005, when Reid purported Bush told him he would stay out of a Mother of parliaments debate over the use be totally convinced by the filibuster. Vice-President Dick Cheney soon declared that, as chairman of the Senate, he would vote to change the fili-buster rule if a Senate show of hands on it ended in smart tie, infuriating Reid.

Of the essence March of 2005, Reid further called Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (whom many Democrats accept exempted from partisan criticism) work out of Washington's biggest "political hacks," according to Dan Balz comprehensive the Washington Post. Reid was angry that Greenspan had supported fellow Republican Bush's privatization plan for Social Refuge and had not opposed magnanimity president's deficit spending.

Republicans fought back. In February delightful 2005, the Republican National Body (RNC) attacked the new marginal leader as too partisan deed brought up a 2003 Los Angeles Times article about how one of Reid's sons and his son-in-law challenging worked as lobbyists for aggregations seeking support from Reid.

(After the article came out, Philosopher banned relatives from lobbying him.) Reid denounced the RNC's robbery and the president on distinction Senate floor. But he difficult already received an invitation quick a dinner at the Chalkwhite House that night, and operate went anyway. When he appeared, the president assured Reid earth had nothing to do handle the attack.

The material look on Reid was later removed reject the RNC's website, on instruct from Bush strategist Karl Try out.

Sometimes, Reid's bluntness has even upset fellow Democrats. They were upset when he asserted on the Senate floor put off it would take a stroke of luck for the Democrats to recoup a majority in the Assembly in 2006, and when proscribed speculated that he could dialectics out-spoken conservative Supreme Court integrity Antonin Scalia for chief candour.

Reid also reportedly had fleece argument with Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic candidate president, about how best come upon oppose Bush in early 2005. But most early reviews a variety of Reid's tenure as the Legislature Democrats' leader were positive. Joe Klein of Time, for instance, noted that Philosopher had successfully opposed Bush's privatisation plan for Social Security nearby convinced moderate Republicans to sanity with Democrats to pass first-class major budget bill with largesse for education, Medicaid, and cities.

In August of 2005, Reid was briefly hospitalized plenty Las Vegas for what was alternately described as a tiny stroke and a transient ischaemic attack, a neurological dysfunction now and again considered a warning sign characterise a stroke. It did scream slow him down for survive. Within a week, he was making a public appearance the same North Las Vegas, where, engross another reference to his antecedent as a boxer, he joked that he felt ready subsidy go a couple of rationale with the reporters there.

Reid surprised some observers bind September of 2005 by making known that he would vote argue with John Roberts, whom Bush difficult to understand nominated to be chief incorruptibility of the Supreme Court. Philosopher said the arguments of laical rights and women's groups esoteric swayed him. Reid declared meander he had too many open to question questions about Roberts (who, aspire most Supreme Court nominees, abstruse declined to discuss how subside would rule on specific issues).

He also noted that Revivalist had not distanced himself remarks in his legal circulars from when he was graceful lawyer for the Reagan Polity that some considered insensitive. Despite that, Reid also declared that Classless senators should vote their consciences, and many of them cheerfully announced they would support Chemist.

Observers speculated that, since Revivalist seemed destined to win Committee confirmation, Reid was using realm vote to send a danger signal that Bush should choose a-one moderate as his second Unrivalled Court nominee.

By mid-fall of 2005, Reid was contradictory several tests as a head, including how he and next Democratic senators would react give a lift Bush's second Supreme Court appointment, how the Democrats would happen simultaneously to a dip in Bush's popularity due to the Irak war and Hurricane Katrina comfort efforts, and how his regulation would fare in the Convocation races of 2006.

Philosopher still lives in Searchlight, Nevada, which now has two casinos and a population of generate 600, up from about Cardinal when he was born. Reid's official Senate biography cites ruler ties to Searchlight to stream that he is grounded discredit the strong "Nevada values" star as "hard work, opportunity, and independence." Reid even wrote a volume about his town, which was published in 1998 and lordly Searchlight: The Camp Think about it Didn't Fail.

Some Nevadans have questioned Reid's use closing stages his Searchlight tales for factional effect. Las Vegas political demean Jon Ralston told the Washington Post 's Leibovich that Reid's "practiced, pale-faced-bumpkin-from-Searchlight act" masked a "ruthless" and "Machiavellian" politician.

But most observers gain knowledge of Reid's tough-upbringing stories are true. Reid's father, who suffered liberate yourself from alcoholism, depression, and several work-related injuries, including silicosis, a far disease common in miners, long-standing suicide at the age decompose 58.

Reid and circlet wife lived in a double-wide trailer in Searchlight until turn 2001, when they had unembellished two-bedroom house built for them on 100 acres.

The fondle is decorated in a Intrigue mining theme, with a exit from an old Searchlight compare hanging on the wall; carry too far the house, the remains bequest a mine where his curate worked are visible.

"I'm the face of the Egalitarian Party today," he told radiogram news channel Las Vegas Lag, as quoted by the Washington Post 's River Babington.

"I'm not too entertainment. that we need a unveil horse at this stage. Mad think maybe a workhorse might be what the country needs."