Background
Reid, John William was born on June 14, 1821 in near Lynchburg, Virginia, United States.
Reid, John William was born on June 14, 1821 in near Lynchburg, Virginia, United States.
Reid attended the common schools.
In 1840, Reid moved to Missouri, where he taught school while studying law, attained admission to the bar, and began a practice in Jefferson City. In the Mexican War he was Captain and commander of a company that served in Doniphan's Regiment. Reid saw action against the Mexican Army, was wounded twice, and took part in an expedition against the Navajo in New Mexico. He was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives from 1854 to 1856, and served on a commission that revised the state's statutes. In the years before the Civil War he led irregular Missouri forces, taking part in raids against Kansas Territory with the aim of eliminating its anti-slavery government, afterwards always being addressed as "General". In 1860 he was elected to the US House of Representatives as a Democrat and served part of one term, March to December 1861, when he was expelled for joining the Confederacy. During the Civil War he was a volunteer aide to Confederate General Sterling Price and a Commissioner to settle claims against the Confederate Government, and was imprisoned for a year by the federal government. After obtaining parole Reid returned to practicing law and became wealthy as one of the builders of modern Kansas City, with interests in banking, real estate, railroads, and bridges. In 2000 his unique tomb was used in a scene from the film "The Painting."
Reid was elected as a Democrat to the Thirty-seventh Congress and served from March 4, 1861, to December 2, 1861. Withdrew from the House of Representatives on August 3, 1861, and was expelled by the Thirty-seventh Congress on December 2, 1861, for having taken up arms against the Union.