Tulare County Biographies

JEFFERSON D. REED

Transcribed by Kathy Sedler

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
        Jefferson D. Reed, constable of Tulare, Tulare county, California, was 
born on a farm near Goshen, Washington county, Arkansas, December 20, 1878. On 
that farm he grew to manhood, attending the common schools of the neighborhood, 
where he received an education sufficient for one in the ordinary walks of life. 
In 1911 he came to California, located at Tulare and for the next three years 
was employed by ranchmen in the valley. He was then for three years one of the 
night watchmen of the city of Tulare.
        In 1922 he was elected constable and took office on January 8, 1923. The 
office of constable is not an exalted one, but it requires certain 
qualifications in the person who holds it, if he would prove to be an efficient 
officer. These qualifications are possessed in an unusual degree by Mr. Reed. 
His judgment and skill have been severely tested since he came into office and 
it is no idle boast to say that he has never been found wanting. On March 5, 
1923, only about two months after he was sworn in as constable, he was wounded 
by a pistol shot while trying to arrest a hold-up man, but even this did not 
deter him from performing his duty. He has personally arrested a number of 
criminals, and in association with R. H. Hill, sheriff of the county, he has 
assisted in the apprehension of several others. Bad men know Constable Reed and 
are not at all desirous of meeting him. They know his record for fearlessness 
and his fidelity to duty, hence they avoid him whenever it is possible, 
preferring to operate in other localities.
        Mr. Reed is a member of the Kaweah Tribe No. 151, Improved Order of Red 
Men, and has been a member of the Woodmen of the World since 1916. He married 
Miss Sarah Jane Steadman, who was born in Indiana, and they have one son, Homer 
L. Reed.
 
Source:  History of Tulare County and Kings County, California � Kathleen 
Edwards Small & J. Larry Smith, Vol. II, Chicago, The S. J. Clarke Publishing 
Company, 1926., p. 432