Jack Reed is the incumbent U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, first elected in 1996 and serving since January 3, 1997. Born in Providence in 1949, Reed is a West Point graduate (1971) who served in the U.S. Army from 1971-1979, achieving the rank of major in the Army Reserve. He earned a Master's degree from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government (1973) and a law degree from Harvard Law School (1982). Reed previously served in the Rhode Island State Senate (1985-1991) and the U.S. House of Representatives (1991-1997). He is currently the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, having previously served as Chairman from 2021-2025. Reed serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations and Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs.
Reed grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, and attended St. Matthew's Elementary School and La Salle Academy. He was nominated for West Point by Sen. John O. Pastore and graduated near the top of his class in 1971. After military service, he earned advanced degrees from Harvard. Reed married Senate staffer Julia Hart in 2005; they have one daughter, Emily, born in 2007. He is Catholic and has served in the Rhode Island State Senate and U.S. House before his Senate tenure began in 1997.