Sir William Reid (1791–1858) was a British soldier, administrator and meteorologist.
He was born at Kinglassie, Fife and was educated at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.
He was commissioned lieutenant of engineers in 1809, and in 1810 joined Wellington's army at Lisbon. In 1815 he participated in Sir Edward Pakenham's unsuccessful attack on New Orleans and in 1835 commanded a brigade in the British Legion raised by the Queen Regent of Spain. Subsequently Reid served as Governor of the Bermudas (1839–1846), of the British Windward Islands (1846–1848), and of Malta (1851–1858). He was knighted in 1851 and promoted to major general five years later.
Reid was sent to the Leeward Islands in 1831 to direct the task of reconstruction after the Great Barbados hurricane. During his two-and-a-half-year stay he became absorbed in trying to understand the nature of Atlantic hurricanes, which led to a lifelong study of tropical storms. He published An Attempt to Develop the Law of Storms by Means of Facts (1838; third edition, 1850) and The Progress of the Development of the Law of Storms and of the Variable Winds (1849).
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in February 1839.[1]
He died at his home in Hyde Park, London.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir R.S. Chapman |
Governor of Bermuda 1839–1846 |
Succeeded by W.N. Hutchinson |
| Preceded by Sir Charles Edward Grey |
Governor of Barbados and the Windward Islands 1846–1848 |
Succeeded by William MacBean George Colebrooke |