Harry Reid (b. 1939) is an influential United States Senator from Nevada and former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.
Born in Searchlight, Nevada, Reid attended high school in Henderson before getting a bachelor's degree from Utah State University. After graduating from George Washington University law school, Reid worked as an attorney before embarking on a career in politics. Serving as a state assemblyman in the late 1960s, Reid was catapulted onto a larger state with his 1970s election as lieutenant governor.
Reid, a Democrat, was chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission from 1977 to 1982, when he was elected to the House of Representatives. Four years later, he moved to the Senate, where he held a succession of leadership position, culminating in his 2006 elevation as Majority Leader of the Senate.
Throughout his public life, Reid has been a voice in Nevada and on Capitol Hill for the hundreds of thousands of people whose jobs are supported by gaming entertainment, and for communities where gaming entertainment provides a strong economic foundation.
