The son of a prominent Fort Fairfield potato grower, John H. Reed was born in that town on January 5, 1921. He attended local schools and graduated from the University of Maine in 1941.
Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and served until 1946. Following his discharge from the service, Reed joined his father’s potato buisness and dabbled in harness racing.
In 1953 he held a seat on the Maine Water Improvement Commission but resigned a year later to run for the Maine House of Representatives. Serving a single term in the House from 1955 to 1957, he ran for the Maine Senate in 1957 and upon reelection in 1959 was chosen Senate President.
On September 20, 1959, Reed became Maine’s Governor upon the death of Clinton Clauson. In 1960 he defeated Democrat Frank Coffin to serve out the remainder of Clauson’s term.
He won maine’s first four-year term as Governor with a narrow victory over Democrat Maynard Dolloff in 1962.
In November 1966, Reed lost the Governorship to Democratic Secretary of State, Kenneth Curtis, and was appointed by Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson to the National Transportation Safety Board, presumably as his reward for staunch support of Johnson’s Vietnam policy.
Under President Richard M. Nixon, Reed was appointed United States Ambassador to Sri-Lanka and the Maldives. He was relieved of this post in the Carter administration.