Reid, Harry Mason, Jr. 1939–2021, American politician, b. Searchlight, Nev., Utah State Univ. (); George Washington Univ. law school (1964). A Democrat, he served in the Nevada state assembly (1969–70), as lieutenant governor (1970–74), and as chairman (1977–81) of the Nevada Gaming Commission before winning the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, he was Senate Democratic whip (1999–2005) before he served as Senate minority leader (2005–7, 2015–17) and majority leader (2007–15). A moderate conservative known for his amiable manner, he also was a tough and tenacious legislator and party leader. During his more than three decades in Congress, he helped pass major legislation including the Affordable Care Act (2010) and secured federal wilderness protection for several million acres in Nevada. He retired from the Senate in 2017.
See his autobiography (2008, with M. Warren).
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