Reed V. Hillman (born November 30, 1948, in

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the Technological and industrial history of the United States, American Industrial Revoluti ...

) is an American law enforcement officer and politician who was the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts for the 2006 gubernatorial election in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, as well as a former Massachusetts

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

. He currently lives in

Sturbridge, Massachusetts Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living museum, living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The pop ...

with his wife and two children.

Pre-politics

Hillman was born and raised in Newton, graduating from

Newton North High School Newton North High School, formerly Newton High School, is the larger and longer-established of two public high schools in Newton, Massachusetts, United States, the other being Newton South High School. It is located in the village of Newtonvill ...

in 1966. Hillman's father was a

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veteran and his mother stayed at home to take care of her four children, of which Reed was the oldest. Hillman graduated from Suffolk Law School in 1974 and continued to pass the bar exam. The same year Hillman would begin his 25-year career with the

Massachusetts State Police The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for law enforcement and vehicle regulation across the state. As of 2024, it has 2,500 sworn troop ...

. In 1996, Hillman was named superintendent of the State Police by Governor

William Weld William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. Hillman became responsible for more than 2,600 law enforcement personnel and an annual budget of over $200 million. Among Hillman's accomplishments as superintendent were the creation of the state police affirmative action program and the construction of new statewide crime labs. Though his service as superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police generally received praise, it also received some criticism from feminists. This criticism stems from a policy of placing pregnant female troopers on restricted duty.

Political career

In 1999, Hillman retired from the State Police and decided to run for

in a special election. Hillman was successful and became vocal in the Massachusetts State Legislature. His most passionate issues were those of public safety, including his support for the Amber Alert, expanding the State Police DNA database, and tougher drunk driving legislation. In the state legislature, Hillman represented the First Hampden District, consisting of the towns of Brimfield, Holland, Palmer and Wales, all in Hampden County; precincts B and C in the town of Ware, in Hampshire County; and the towns of Sturbridge and Warren, both in Worcester County. He declined to seek re-election to the seat in 2004, and was succeeded by Palmer Board of Selectmen Chairman Todd M. Smola, a fellow Republican and Hillman's former aide. In 2005, Hillman was suggested by Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

to be considered for the position of

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary. It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Jus ...

for Massachusetts. The following year the lieutenant governor, and Republican nominee for governor,

Kerry Healey Kerry Murphy Healey (born April 30, 1960) is an American politician and educator serving as President Emerita of Babson College. She previously served as the 70th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 under Governor Mitt Romne ...

, chose Hillman as her running mate for the 2006 election. The pair lost to

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...

and

Tim Murray Timothy Patrick Murray (born June 7, 1968) is an American lawyer and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the 71st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2 ...

in the general election in November by a wide margin. Hillman now teaches at Mount Wachusett Community College, in Gardner MA, teaching criminal justice courses.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hillman, Reed V. 1948 births Living people Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Babson College alumni Suffolk University Law School alumni Politicians from Framingham, Massachusetts Politicians from Waltham, Massachusetts People from Sturbridge, Massachusetts Newton North High School alumni 21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court