Representative Edward Cambridge Reed

Edward Cambridge Reed (March 8, 1793 – May 1, 1883) was an American lawyer, War of 1812 veteran, and Jacksonian member of the United States House of Representatives from New York, serving one term from 1831 to 1833. His career spanned more than six decades in law and public service, during which he held a series of important local and county offices in central New York while maintaining an active legal practice.

Reed was born on March 8, 1793, in Fitzwilliam, Cheshire County, New Hampshire. He attended the local common schools in his youth, receiving the basic education typical of New England at the turn of the nineteenth century. Demonstrating early academic promise, he enrolled at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and graduated in 1812. His college years coincided with rising tensions between the United States and Great Britain, and his graduation came just as the War of 1812 began.

Shortly after completing his studies, Reed served in the War of 1812 under the authority of Governor William L. Marcy of New York. His military service during this conflict formed an early part of his public career and connected him to the generation of young professionals who combined legal training with wartime experience. Following the war, he turned fully to the study of law, relocating to Troy, New York, where he read law in preparation for admission to the bar.

Reed was admitted to the bar in 1816 and soon thereafter commenced the practice of law in Homer, Cortland County, New York. He quickly became a prominent figure in the community’s civic and educational life. From 1822 to 1870, he served as secretary of the board of trustees of Cortland Academy in Homer, a position that placed him at the center of local educational affairs for nearly half a century. Professionally, his legal career advanced steadily; he was admitted to practice before the Court of Chancery in 1830, reflecting his growing stature in the New York bar. Between 1827 and 1836, he served as district attorney of Cortland County, prosecuting cases on behalf of the state and solidifying his reputation as a capable public lawyer.

Reed entered national politics as a supporter of Andrew Jackson and the emerging Democratic movement. He was elected as a Jacksonian Democrat to the Twenty-second Congress, representing New York in the U.S. House of Representatives. His term in Congress lasted from March 4, 1831, to March 3, 1833. As a member of the Jackson Party representing New York, Edward Cambridge Reed contributed to the legislative process during his single term in office. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history marked by debates over federal authority, economic policy, and democratic participation, and he took part in the national deliberations of the Jacksonian era while representing the interests of his constituents.

After leaving Congress, Reed returned to Homer and resumed the practice of law. He continued to hold important judicial and legal posts at the county level. From 1836 to 1840, he served as an associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Cortland County, participating in the adjudication of civil and criminal matters. In addition to his earlier long tenure as district attorney, he was again called to that office in 1856, reflecting the continued confidence of the community in his legal judgment and public integrity. Throughout these years, he maintained his involvement with Cortland Academy and remained a respected figure in local civic life.

In 1875, late in his life, Reed moved from Homer to Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, where he again resumed the practice of his profession. Even in advanced age he continued to engage in legal work, illustrating the durability of his professional commitment. Edward Cambridge Reed died in Ithaca on May 1, 1883. He was interred in Glenwood Cemetery in Homer, New York, returning in death to the community where he had spent the greater part of his long career in law, education, and public service.