Whitelaw Reid

Born in Ohio in 1837, Whitelaw Reid began his working life in education and local journalism before rising quickly as a reporter. During the Civil War he worked as a correspondent, and his writing on the conflict helped build his reputation as a serious journalist and historian.

After Horace Greeley’s death in 1872, Reid took over leadership of the New-York Tribune and remained one of the most influential figures in American newspaper publishing for decades. He also wrote Ohio in the War, a well-known history of the state’s role in the conflict, and became active in Republican politics.

Public service carried him beyond journalism. Reid served as U.S. minister to France from 1889 to 1892, was the Republican nominee for vice president in 1892, and later became U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, serving there until his death in London in 1912.