Robert R. Reid

Robert R. Reid
Territorial Governor of Florida
In office
December 2, 1839 – March 19, 1841
Appointed by Martin Van Buren
Preceded by Richard K. Call
Succeeded by Richard K. Call
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's at-large district
In office
February 18, 1819 – March 3, 1823
Preceded by John Forsyth
Succeeded by John Forsyth
Personal details
Born (1789-10-08)October 8, 1789
Prince William Parish, Beaufort District, South Carolina
Died July 1, 1841(1841-07-01) (aged 51)
Tallahassee, Florida
Nationality American
Political party Democratic Party
Children Janet, James, Florida, Rosalie, Robert Raymond III, Raymond "Jenks"
Occupation Attorney

Robert Raymond Reid (September 8, 1789 – July 1, 1841) was the fourth territorial governor of Florida. He was also a Representative from Georgia. He also held several judicial positions.

Robert Reid was born in Prince William Parish, Beaufort District, South Carolina, in 1789. He was educated at the University of South Carolina and studied and practiced law in Augusta, Georgia. Reid began public service at age 27 as a judge and later served Georgia as an at-large Representative from Georgia to the 15th, 16th, and 17th United States Congresses and served from February 18, 1819, to March 3, 1823. He also held several judicial positions including judge in the superior court of Georgia, circuit court judge for Middle Georgia, city judge for Augusta, Georgia. In May 1832, he was appointed United States judge for the district of East Florida by U.S. President Andrew Jackson.

Reid's life was marked by personal tragedy. He married three times, was widowed twice and lost numerous children and grandchildren. With his first wife Anna Margaret McClaws, whom he married in 1811, Reid had five children: Janet, James, Florida, Rosalie, and Robert Raymond III. Anna Margaret McClaws died in 1825. Children Janet and James both drowned in a sailing accident in 1839. His second marriage was to Elizabeth Napier D. Randolph in 1833. She died in childbirth in 1832. In 1836, he married Mary Martha Reid, who later became known for her nursing work during the American Civil War. They had two sons, William and Reymond "Jenks."

U.S. President Martin Van Buren appointed Reid governor of Florida in December 1839. Reid presided at the convention that drafted Florida's first constitution and advocated a vigorous prosecution of the Second Seminole War.

He died at his home in Blackwood near Tallahassee, Florida, on July 1, 1841, a victim of a yellow fever epidemic. His granddaughter Rebecca Black and daughter Janet Black were also victims of the 1841 yellow fever epidemic that struck Florida's Panhandle.

References

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by
John Forsyth		 Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's at-large congressional district
February 18, 1819 – March 3, 1823 		Succeeded by
John Forsyth
Political offices
Preceded by
Richard K. Call		 Territorial Governor of Florida
1839–1841 		Succeeded by
Richard K. Call
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