Joseph Reed (politician)
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Joseph Reed (August 27, 1741March 5, 1785) was an American lawyer, military officer, politician, and
Founding Father of the United States The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American Revolution, American revolutionary leaders who United Colonies, united the Thirteen Colon ...
. He served as aide-de-camp to
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
, as adjutant general of the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
and fought in several key battles during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
. He is credited with designing the Pine Tree Flag used during the war. He served as a delegate to the
Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...
from Pennsylvania and was a signatory to the
Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...
. He served as the third President of Pennsylvania's Supreme Executive Council, a position analogous to the modern office of
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
, from 1778 to 1781. He was elected to Congress a second time in 1784, but did not take office due to poor health.


Early life and education

Reed was born in Trenton in the
Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...
on August 7, 1741, to Andrew Reed and Theodosia Bowes. His grandfather, Joseph Reed, was a wealthy merchant born in
Carrickfergus Carrickfergus ( , meaning " Fergus' rock") is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It sits on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 28,141 at the 2021 census. It is County Antrim's oldest t ...
,
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, County Antrim, Antrim, ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, located within the historic Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the c ...
in
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
who settled in
West Jersey West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702. Determination of an exact location for a border between West Jersey and East Jersey was often ...
. The family moved to Philadelphia shortly after Reed's birth and, as a boy, Reed was enrolled at Philadelphia Academy. He received his bachelor's degree from the College of New Jersey (later known as
Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...
) in 1757. He studied law under Richard Stockton. In the summer of 1763, Reed sailed for England and studied law at
Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...
in London for two years. Shortly after his studies ended in 1768, Reed was elected as a member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...
.


Business career

Upon his return from London, he established a law practice in Trenton, New Jersey, and was appointed deputy secretary of New Jersey and clerk of the council. He worked as an assistant to Dennys de Berdt, a former agent for his father and the colonial representative for New England. He was a successful land speculator.


Military career

In 1775, after the
Battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 were the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot militias from America's Thirteen Co ...
, Reed was appointed lieutenant colonel in the Pennsylvania Militia. When his friend George Washington was assigned commander-in-chief, Reed became his aide-de-camp. Reed is credited with creating the Pine Tree Flag. On October 20, 1775, Reed wrote a letter to Colonel John Glover of the "Marblehead Men" Regiment of seamen in the
Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies representing the Thirteen Colonies and later the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It was formed on June 14, 1775, by a resolution passed by the Second Continental Co ...
, setting the design of the First Navy Flag, the Evergreen Tree of Liberty flag. Reed wrote: "What do you think of a Flag with a white Ground, a tree in the middle, the motto: "Appeal to Heaven"."Wyatt, Rick (2002). Washington's Cruisers Flag (U.S.). Retrieved from http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-wacr.html. In June 1775, Reed served as Adjutant-General of the Continental Army with the rank of colonel and fought in the
Battle of Long Island The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn and the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, was an action of the American Revolutionary War fought on August 27, 1776, at and near the western edge of Long Island in present-day Brooklyn ...
. In this service he became one of General Washington's closest confidants; Washington wrote letters to him frequently and rarely traveled or made any substantial military decision without first consulting Reed. Because of his knowledge of the terrain of New Jersey, Reed was instrumental in the planning of the
Battle of Trenton The Battle of Trenton was a small but pivotal American Revolutionary War battle on the morning of December 26, 1776, in Trenton, New Jersey. After General George Washington's George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, crossing of the ...
. He fought in the Battle of Princeton and provided important intelligence in the Battle of Princeton back to Washington. He was involved in the second crossing of the Delaware, and fought in the Battle of Brandywine, the
Battle of Germantown The Battle of Germantown was a major engagement in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War. It was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania, between the British Army led by Sir William Howe, and the American ...
and the
Battle of Monmouth The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near the Village of Monmouth Court House, New Jersey, Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey and Manalapan, New Jersey, Manalapan, on J ...
. In December 1776, anxious to know the location of General Charles Lee's forces following the Continental Army's chaotic retreat from Manhattan, Washington opened a letter from Lee to Reed which indicated that they were both having serious doubts about Washington's decision-making and abilities. This was extremely disconcerting to Washington, as Reed was one of his most trusted officers. Washington and Reed maintained a working relationship in the army together, although Reed never had the same level of trust from Washington from that point forward. In 1782, Reed was accused of treasonous conduct during the war in an anonymous article published in a newspaper. Reed assumed the article was published by Colonel John Cadwalader, but others believe the author was Dr.
Benjamin Rush Benjamin Rush (April 19, 1813) was an American revolutionary, a Founding Father of the United States and signatory to the U.S. Declaration of Independence, and a civic leader in Philadelphia, where he was a physician, politician, social refor ...
. A pamphlet series was published in 1783 which defended Reed.


Political career

He served on the Committee of Correspondence for Philadelphia in 1774, as president of Pennsylvania's second Provincial Congress in 1775 and as member of the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1776. He was offered the position of Chief Justice of the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania is the highest court in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Judiciary of Pennsylvania, Unified Judicial System. It began in 1684 as the Provincial Court, and casual references to it as ...
in 1777, but declined. In 1778, Reed was one of the signers of the
Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...
. On December 1, 1778, he was elected President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position analogous to the modern office of
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
. Reed oversaw the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania and the awarding of Revolutionary soldiers with lifelong "
half-pay Half-pay (h.p.) was a term used in the British Army and Royal Navy of the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries to refer to the pay or allowance an officer received when in retirement or not in actual service. Past usage United Kingdom In the E ...
". Reed carried on a public feud with
Benedict Arnold Benedict Arnold (#Brandt, Brandt (1994), p. 4June 14, 1801) was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the American Continental Army and rose to the rank of ...
, who was the military commander of Philadelphia at the time. He accused him of eight instances of corruption. Arnold demanded a military trial and successfully cleared his name, although his reputation was damaged. Arnold resigned his post in Philadelphia, and the charges led Arnold to later commit treason against the United States. In 1778, Reed reported to Congress that Frederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, through the Carlisle Peace Commission, had attempted to bribe him to promote reconciliation of the colonies with Britain. Reed's antipathy to Pennsylvania's Loyalist residents has been well attested by historic sources. Whilst in Congress, he advocated for the seizure of Loyalist properties and treason charges for those aligned with Great Britain (Reed and his family then lived in a confiscated Loyalist home). Congress regarded the Loyalist citizens in a more tolerant manner. As the President of Pennsylvania, Reed oversaw numerous trials of suspected Loyalists. He also played a key role in settling the Pennsylvania Line Mutiny in January 1781. After leaving the office of president of the Supreme Council, he served as one of the lawyers who defended Pennsylvania's claim to the
Wyoming Valley The Wyoming Valley is a historic industrialized region of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The region is historically notable for its influence in helping fuel the American Industrial Revolution with its many anthracite coal mines. As a metropolitan ar ...
in a land dispute from the state of Connecticut. He was elected to Congress a second time in 1784, but was unable to take office due to poor health.


Personal life

During his time studying in London, Reed became romantically attached to Esther de Berdt, the daughter of the agent for the
Province of Massachusetts Bay The Province of Massachusetts Bay was a colony in New England which became one of the thirteen original states of the United States. It was chartered on October 7, 1691, by William III and Mary II, the joint monarchs of the kingdoms of Eng ...
, Dennis de Berdt. Though very fond of Reed, de Berdt was aware of Reed's intention to return to
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
and initially refused consent for Esther to marry him. Reed returned to the
Colonies A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule, which rules the territory and its indigenous peoples separated from the foreign rulers, the colonizer, and their '' metropole'' (or "mother country"). This separated rule was often or ...
with only a tenuous engagement to Esther, and with an understanding that he would return to settle permanently in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...
shortly after. Following the death of his father, Reed finally returned to London to find that Esther's father had died during Reed's return trip to Britain. Reed and Esther married in May 1770 at Saint Luke's,
Cripplegate Cripplegate was a city gate, gate in the London Wall which once enclosed the City of London, England. The Cripplegate gate lent its name to the Cripplegate Wards of the City of London, ward of the City, which encompasses the area where the gat ...
, near the
City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
. Finding the de Berdt family in financial difficulties, Reed remained in London long enough to help settle his wife's family's affairs. Together with the widowed Mrs. de Berdt, Esther and Reed sailed for North America in October 1770. The Reeds would have five children:
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
, who would become a prominent lawyer; Denis de Berdt; George Washington, who would become a Navy commander; Esther; and Martha. Reed owned two slaves.


Death

In 1784, Reed visited England with the hope of improving his health but was not successful. He returned to Pennsylvania and died in Philadelphia on March 5, 1785, at the age of 43. Reed was initially interred in the Second Presbyterian Church cemetery in Philadelphia. Both he and his wife were reinterred to
Laurel Hill Cemetery Laurel Hill Cemetery, also called Laurel Hill East to distinguish it from the affiliated West Laurel Hill Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, Bala Cynwyd, is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls, Philadelphia, East Falls neighborhood ...
in 1868.


References

Citations Sources *


Further reading

*
George Bancroft George Bancroft (October 3, 1800 – January 17, 1891) was an American historian, statesman and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who was prominent in promoting secondary education both in his home state of Massachusetts ...
,
Joseph Reed, A Historical Essay
', New York: W.J. Widdleton, Publisher, 1867 * Joseph Reed,
A Reprint of the Reed and Cadwalader Pamphlets.
', Philadelphia: J. Munsell, 1864 * William B. Reed,
Reprint of the Original Letters from Washington to Joseph Reed During The American Revolution
', Philadelphia: A. Hart, 1852


External links


Grave at Laurel Hill Cemetery


{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Joseph 1741 births 1785 deaths Adjutants general of the United States Army Aides-de-camp of George Washington American abolitionists American people of Scotch-Irish descent American slave owners Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) Continental Army staff officers Continental Congressmen from Pennsylvania Flag designers Founding Fathers of the United States Governors of Pennsylvania Justices of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Members of the American Philosophical Society Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state court judges People from colonial New Jersey People from colonial Pennsylvania Politicians from Philadelphia Politicians from Trenton, New Jersey Princeton University alumni Reed family (Pennsylvania and New Jersey) Signers of the Articles of Confederation University of Pennsylvania people