Whitelaw Reid

Whitelaw Reid

Whitelaw Reid (October 27, 1837 - December 15, 1912) was a U.S. politician and newspaper editor, as well as the author of a popular history of Ohio in the Civil War.

A native of Ohio, Reid graduated from Miami University with honors in 1856. At Miami, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon, and lobbied for the expulsion of the six members who ultimately went on to found Sigma Chi (Thomas Cowan Bell, James Parks Caldwell, Daniel William Cooper, Isaac M. Jordan, Benjamin Piatt Runkle, and Franklin Howard Scobey.) He was the longtime editor of the New York Tribune and close friend of Horace Greeley. He was a leader of the Liberal Republican movement in 1872.

A Republican, he had an illustrious career as an diplomat, serving as United States Ambassador to France from 1889 to 1892, and again as U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James from 1905 to 1912. In 1892, he was the Republican vice presidential nominee on a ticket headed by incumbent President Benjamin Harrison. Reid was given a spot on the Peace Commission following the Spanish-American War. Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York of Westchester County is currently located on his former estate.

[edit] Trivia

In 1892, Benjamin Harrison and Whitelaw Reid formed the only U.S. presidential ticket composed of candidates that were also alumni of the same university, Miami University. Both men have buildings on Miami's campus named for them. Reid Hall is a dormitory, while Harrison Hall houses the Political Science department.

He gave a highly commendatory eulogy to Benjamin Piatt Runkle—a fellow DKE before founding Sigma Chi— after seeing Runkle wounded at the Battle of Shiloh and mistakenly thinking him dead. Runkle returned the favor upon Reid's death.

Preceded by Robert Milligan McLane	United States Ambassador to France 1889–1892	Succeeded by Thomas Jefferson Coolidge
Preceded by Levi Parsons Morton	Republican Party Vice Presidential candidate 1892 (lost)	Succeeded by Garret Hobart
Preceded by Joseph Hodges Choate	United States Ambassador to the Court of St. James 1905–1912	Succeeded by Walter Hines Page

United States Republican Party Vice Presidential Nominees
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