Robert Raymond Reid (March 12, 1855 – January 14, 1923) was a justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

from January 2 to January 14, 1923.

Early life, education, and career

Born in

Madison County, Mississippi Madison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2020 census, the population was 109,145. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for Founding Father and U.S. President James Madison. Madison County is pa ...

, Reid's family moved to Louisiana around 1860, when Reid's father purchase the Contreras plantation in

St. Bernard Parish St. Bernard Parish (; ) is a List of parishes in Louisiana, parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat and largest community is Chalmette, Louisiana, Chalmette. The parish was formed in 1807. St. Bernard Parish is part of the New Or ...

. The family settled in

Amite, Louisiana Amite City ( or ; commonly just Amite) is a town in and the seat of Tangipahoa Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,141 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hammond MSA. History The first European settlemen ...

, in 1866. Reid graduated from the

Virginia Military Institute The Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is a public senior military college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1839 as America's first state military college and is the oldest public senior military college in the U.S. In k ...

in 1875, and from the old University of Louisiana (later

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

), and was admitted to the bar in 1882, thereafter entering the private practice of law.

Judicial service

In 1892, Reid was elected as a District Court Judge for

Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Tangipahoa Parish () is a parish located on the southeastern border of the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 133,157. The parish seat is Amite City, while the largest city is Hammond. Southeastern Louisiana ...

, remaining in that office until 1904. During this twelve-year period, Reid was credited with "a virtual suppression of the lawlessness which afflicted portions of his district", with tensions rising to the point that "guards were utilized to prevent the threatened assassination of Reid by contending factions in the feuds that were going on during the period". In 1904, Reid returned to private practice. In 1921, Reid participated in the prosecution of the six men accused of the murder of Dallas Calmes. Reid was prominent in Masonic circles of the state, serving for two terms as Grand Master of the Grand Lodge Louisiana, from 1902 to 1904, and serving in other offices of the Grand Lodge. He was also a member of the constitutional convention of 1921, serving on various committees and as chairman of the bill of rights committee. In 1922, Reid ran for an open seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court, handily defeating opponent Harney Felix Brunot in October of that year. Reid was sworn in on January 2, 1923, and served for only twelve days before his sudden death.

Personal life and death

Reid married Katherine Buck of Tangipahoa Parish, with whom he had a large number of children, eleven of whom survived him. Reid died at his home in Amite at the age of 68, from enlargement of the heart and hardening of the arteries. He was buried wearing his judicial robes. His eldest son, Columbus Reid, was proposed to succeed him on the bench, but judge Brunot was ultimately selected for the seat."Judge Brunot Will Take His Oath June 4", ''The Shreveport Times'' (May 13, 1923), p. 4.

References

Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court Virginia Military Institute alumni Tulane University alumni 1855 births 1923 deaths {{Louisiana-state-judge-stub