Thomas Brackett Reed , occasionally ridiculed as Czar Reed, was a U.S. Representative from Maine, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1889–1891 and also from 1895–1899. He was a powerful leader of the Republican Party, and during his tenure as Speaker of the House, he served with greater influence than any Speaker who came before, and he forever increased its power and influence for those who succeeded him in the position.
Born in Portland, Maine, Reed established a legal practice in Portland after graduating from Bowdoin College. He won election to both houses of the Maine Legislature and served as the state's attorney general. After a stint as Portland's city solicitor, Reed won election to the United States House of Representatives and served in that chamber from 1877 to 1899.
Reed won election as Speaker of the House in 1889, narrowly defeating fellow Republican Representative William McKinley in the election. He served as Speaker until 1891, when Democrats took control of the House. He regained the position of Speaker in 1895 when Republicans took control of the House. He increased the Speaker's power by instituting the "Reed Rules," which limited the ability of the minority party to prevent the establishment of a quorum. Reed helped pass the Lodge Bill, which sought to protect African American voting rights in the Southern United States, but the bill failed to pass in the Senate and never became law. He opposed the Spanish–American War and resigned from Congress in 1899.
Quoted by George W. Stimpson in A Book About American Politics http://books.google.com/books?id=5eQ5AAAAMAAJ&q=%22One+of+the+greatest+delusions+in+the+world+is+the+hope+that+the+evils+of+the+world+can+be+cured+by+legislation%22&pg=PA342#v=onepage (1952)
