Joseph Reed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rdPresident of Pennsylvania | |
| In office December 1, 1778 – November 16, 1781 | |
| Vice President | George Bryan Matthew Smith William Moore |
| Preceded by | George Bryan |
| Succeeded by | William Moore |
| Member, Continental Congress | |
| In office 1778–1778 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1741-08-27)August 27, 1741 |
| Died | March 5, 1785(1785-03-05) (aged 43) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Profession | Statesman, lawyer, military officer |
| Signature |  |
Joseph Reed (August 27, 1741 – March 5, 1785) was an American lawyer, military officer, politician, andFounding Father of the United States. He served asaide-de-camp toGeorge Washington, asadjutant general of theContinental Army and fought in several key battles during theAmerican Revolutionary War. He is credited with designing thePine Tree Flag used during the war.
He served as a delegate to theContinental Congress from Pennsylvania and was a signatory to theArticles of Confederation. He served as the third President of Pennsylvania'sSupreme Executive Council, a position analogous to the modern office ofGovernor, from 1778 to 1781. He was elected to Congress a second time in 1784, but did not take office due to poor health.
Reed was born inTrenton in theProvince of New Jersey on August 7, 1741, to Andrew Reed and Theodosia Bowes.[1] His grandfather, Joseph Reed, was a wealthy merchant born inCarrickfergus,County Antrim inUlster who settled inWest Jersey.[2] 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 asPrinceton University) in 1757.[3]
He studied law underRichard Stockton. In the summer of 1763, Reed sailed for England and studied law atMiddle Temple in London for two years.[1] Shortly after his studies ended in 1768, Reed was elected as a member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[4]
Upon his return from London, he established a law practice in Trenton, New Jersey, and was appointed deputy secretary of New Jersey[1] 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.[5]
In 1775, after theBattles of Lexington and Concord, Reed was appointed lieutenant colonel in thePennsylvania Militia. When his friend George Washington was assigned commander-in-chief, Reed became hisaide-de-camp.[1]
Reed is credited with creating thePine Tree Flag. On October 20, 1775, Reed wrote a letter to ColonelJohn Glover of the "Marblehead Men" Regiment of seamen in theContinental Army, 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"."[6][7]
In June 1775, Reed served asAdjutant-General of the Continental Army with the rank of colonel and fought in theBattle of Long Island.[1] 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.[8] Because of his knowledge of the terrain of New Jersey, Reed was instrumental in the planning of theBattle of Trenton. He fought in theBattle of Princeton and provided importantintelligence in the Battle of Princeton back to Washington. He was involved in the secondcrossing of the Delaware, and fought in theBattle of Brandywine, theBattle of Germantown and theBattle of Monmouth.[1]
In December 1776, anxious to know the location of GeneralCharles 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.[9]
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 ColonelJohn Cadwalader, but others believe the author was Dr.Benjamin Rush. A pamphlet series was published in 1783 which defended Reed.[10]
He served on theCommittee of Correspondence for Philadelphia in 1774, as president of Pennsylvania's secondProvincial Congress in 1775 and as member of thePennsylvania Assembly in 1776. He was offered the position ofChief Justice of theSupreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1777, but declined.[5] In 1778, Reed was one of the signers of theArticles of Confederation.[11]
On December 1, 1778, he was electedPresident of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, a position analogous to the modern office ofgovernor.[5] Reed oversaw the gradual abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania and the awarding of Revolutionary soldiers with lifelong "half-pay". Reed carried on a public feud withBenedict Arnold, 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.[9]
In 1778, Reed reported to Congress thatFrederick Howard, 5th Earl of Carlisle, through theCarlisle Peace Commission, had attempted to bribe him to promote reconciliation of the colonies with Britain.[12]
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.[9] He also played a key role in settling thePennsylvania Line Mutiny in January 1781.[12]
After leaving the office of president of the Supreme Council, he served as one of the lawyers who defended Pennsylvania's claim to theWyoming Valley in a land dispute from the state of Connecticut.[5]
He was elected to Congress a second time in 1784, but was unable to take office due to poor health.[5]
During his time studying in London, Reed became romantically attached toEsther de Berdt, the daughter of the agent for theProvince of Massachusetts Bay, Dennys de Berdt. Though very fond of Reed, de Berdt was aware of Reed's intention to return toPhiladelphia and initially refused consent for Esther to marry him. Reed returned to theColonies with only a tenuous engagement to Esther, and with an understanding that he would return to settle permanently inGreat Britain 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 atSaint Luke's,Cripplegate, near theCity of London. 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.[13]
The Reeds would have five children:Joseph, who would become a prominent lawyer; Denis de Berdt; George Washington, who would become a Navy commander; Esther; and Martha.[2]
Reed owned two slaves.[5]
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.[3] Reed was initially interred in the Second Presbyterian Church cemetery in Philadelphia. Both he and his wife were reinterred toLaurel Hill Cemetery in 1868.[14]
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member,Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania, representingthe County of Philadelphia November 24, 1778 – October 16, 1781 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Pennsylvania December 1, 1778 – November 15, 1781 | Succeeded by |
| Military offices | ||
| Preceded by | Adjutant Generals of the U. S. Army June 5, 1776 – January 22, 1777 | Succeeded by Arthur St. Clair (acting) |
