Harrison Reed

Who was Harrison Reed?

Harrison Reed was the ninth Governor of Florida. Reed was born in Littleton, Massachusetts, on August 26, 1813, to parents Seth and Rhoda Reed. His brothers were Curtis Reed and George Reed. At age 16, he was apprenticed to a printer, but health problems caused him to quit. He became a merchant, in 1836 and moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There he opened the first general store and started the first Sunday school. His business failed in the Panic of 1837. He then took a turn at farming. He was an early owner and editor of the Milwaukee Sentinel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from December 1837 until May 1842. He co-published the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison with David Atwood from 1859-1861.

He married Amanda Anna Louisa Turner on August 12, 1841, in Milwaukee. Together, they helped settle the towns of Neenah and Menasha. They had four children, one of whom died before the age of two.

In 1861 he moved to Washington, D.C. to assume a post at the Treasury Department. While in Washington, his wife died on October 13, 1862. In 1863, he was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln to be a tax commissioner in Florida to deal with seized Confederate property.