Charlotte Thompson Reid
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Thompson Reid (September 27, 1913 – January 25, 2007) served in the U.S. Congress as a U.S. Representative
for Illinois
from 1962 to 1971. She was a member of the Republican Party.
public schools and Illinois College
. Before getting married and entering politics she was a featured vocalist with the NBC
's Breakfast Club
with Don McNeill
; she appeared under the professional name of "Annette King".
On January 1, 1938, Charlotte Thompson married Frank R. Reid, Jr. (who died in 1962). She was the mother of four children: Illinois State Representative, Patricia Reid Lindner
(Mrs. George Lindner), Frank Reid, Susan (Mrs. J. Todd Lewis) and the late Edward Reid. she had eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
Her initial assignments were on the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Public Works. She also served on the House Republican Policy Committee and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
.
Her committee assignments included the Committee on Appropriations
where she was appointed to two of its Subcommittees: Foreign Operations and Labor-Health, Education and Welfare. Charlotte Reid served as one of the first six Congressional members on the Board of Governors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
and served on the Board of Governors of the Capitol Hill Club
. She addressed the 1964 Republican National Convention
in San Francisco and again at the 1968 Republican National Convention
in Miami.
In 1965, during her second term, she paid for her own trip to Vietnam to speak with her constituents from Illinois, including 23 men on an aircraft carrier in the China Sea. When she returned she contacted their families. She said that the experience was "One of the most gratifying things that happened to me in Congress."
. While on the FCC, she served as the Commissioner of Defense focused on emergency preparedness and defense mobilization.
After leaving government in 1976, Mrs. Reid was involved with both public and private boards:
Honorary degrees included Doctor of Laws from John Marshall Law School
, Illinois College
and Aurora University
.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
from 1962 to 1971. She was a member of the Republican Party.
Family and early life
Charlotte Leota Thompson attended Aurora, IllinoisAurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
public schools and Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
. Before getting married and entering politics she was a featured vocalist with the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Breakfast Club
The Breakfast Club (radio)
The Breakfast Club is a long-run morning variety show on NBC Blue Network/ABC radio originating in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by Don McNeill, the radio program ran from June 23, 1933 through December 27, 1968. McNeil's 35½-year run as host remains the longest tenure for an M.C...
with Don McNeill
Don McNeill (performer)
Don McNeill was an American radio personality, best known as the creator and host of The Breakfast Club, which ran for more than 30 years.-Early career:...
; she appeared under the professional name of "Annette King".
On January 1, 1938, Charlotte Thompson married Frank R. Reid, Jr. (who died in 1962). She was the mother of four children: Illinois State Representative, Patricia Reid Lindner
Patricia Reid Lindner
Patricia Reid Lindner was a Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 50th district from 1993 until her retirement at the end of her term in 2009...
(Mrs. George Lindner), Frank Reid, Susan (Mrs. J. Todd Lewis) and the late Edward Reid. she had eight grandchildren and twelve great-grandchildren.
Member of U.S. House
Charlotte was very involved in her Husband's run for congress. He won the nomination over eight men only to die in August before he could run in the regular election. Because she was so involved in her husband's campaign, she was appointed to run in his place. She was first elected to Congress from the 15th District of Illinois in November 1962 and was the only new woman member elected that year. Her first Congress, the 88th, contained 12 women Representatives and 1 woman Senator. She was re-elected for four successive terms.Her initial assignments were on the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs and the Committee on Public Works. She also served on the House Republican Policy Committee and the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
United States House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct
The Committee on Ethics, often known simply as the Ethics Committee, is one of the committees of the United States House of Representatives. Prior to the 112th Congress it was known as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct....
.
Her committee assignments included the Committee on Appropriations
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
where she was appointed to two of its Subcommittees: Foreign Operations and Labor-Health, Education and Welfare. Charlotte Reid served as one of the first six Congressional members on the Board of Governors of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
and served on the Board of Governors of the Capitol Hill Club
Capitol Hill Club
The National Republican Club of Capitol Hill, commonly known as the Capitol Hill Club, is private social club for Republicans in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1951 by former New Jersey Congressman James C...
. She addressed the 1964 Republican National Convention
1964 Republican National Convention
The 1964 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States took place in the Cow Palace, San Francisco, California, on July 13 to July 16, 1964. Before 1964, there had only been one national Republican convention on the West Coast...
in San Francisco and again at the 1968 Republican National Convention
1968 Republican National Convention
The 1968 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Dade County, Florida, from August 5 to August 8, 1968....
in Miami.
In 1965, during her second term, she paid for her own trip to Vietnam to speak with her constituents from Illinois, including 23 men on an aircraft carrier in the China Sea. When she returned she contacted their families. She said that the experience was "One of the most gratifying things that happened to me in Congress."
After Congress: life and honors
Mrs. Reid left Congress in 1971, in the middle of her fifth term, to become the only woman Commissioner on the Federal Communications CommissionFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. While on the FCC, she served as the Commissioner of Defense focused on emergency preparedness and defense mobilization.
After leaving government in 1976, Mrs. Reid was involved with both public and private boards:
- Board member of Liggett GroupLiggett GroupLiggett Group , formerly known as Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company, is the fourth largest tobacco company in the United States. Its headquarters are located in Durham, North Carolina, though its manufacturing facility is 30 miles to the west in Mebane, North Carolina...
(1977–1981) - Board member of MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
(1978–1983) - Board member of Midatlantic Bank of New Jersey (1978–1985)
- Board of Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) (1982–1984)
- Presidential Task Force on International Private Enterprise (1985–1987)
- Board of Governors of the Hoover InstitutionHoover InstitutionThe Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....
at Stanford UniversityStanford UniversityThe Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
(1982–1989)
Honorary degrees included Doctor of Laws from John Marshall Law School
John Marshall Law School (Chicago)
The John Marshall Law School is a law school in Chicago, Illinois, that was founded in 1899 and accredited by the American Bar Association in 1941. The school was named for the influential nineteenth century U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall....
, Illinois College
Illinois College
Illinois College is a private, liberal arts college, affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church , and located in Jacksonville, Illinois. It was the second college founded in Illinois, but the first to grant a degree . It was founded in 1829 by the Illinois Band,...
and Aurora University
Aurora University
Aurora University is a private, not-for-profit, co-educational liberal arts college located in Aurora, Illinois, 40 miles west of Chicago, Illinois. Additional university locations include the George Williams College campus in Williams Bay, Wisconsin and the Woodstock Center in Woodstock, Illinois...
.