Henry Frazier Reams Sr. (January 15, 1897 – September 15, 1971) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

politician of the

United States Democratic Party The Democratic Party is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. Founded in 1828, it was predominantly built by Martin Van Buren, who assembled a wide cadre of politicians in eve ...

from

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. Reams served as a U.S. Congressman from Ohio from 1951 to 1955.

Life and career

Reams was born in

Franklin, Tennessee Franklin is a city in and county seat of Williamson County, Tennessee, United States. About south of Nashville, it is one of the principal cities of the Nashville metropolitan area and Middle Tennessee. As of 2020, its population was 83,454 ...

in 1897. His father was a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

minister. Reams served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

, with the 58th Field Artillery, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, in 1918–1919. He was discharged at the rank of lieutenant. After the war, Reams finished his degree at the

University of Tennessee at Knoxville The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, earning a bachelor's degree in 1919. In 1922, he received a law degree from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

. In 1920, Reams was licensed to practice law in Tennessee. In 1922, he moved to

, where his brother Glenn was a medical resident at

the Toledo Hospital ProMedica Toledo Hospital is a 794-bed non-profit hospital in Toledo, Ohio operated by ProMedica. The hospital is a Level I trauma center and the largest acute care hospital in the Toledo metropolitan area with at least 4,800 health care professi ...

. Reams was admitted to the bar and practiced law with the firm Tracy, Chapman & Welles. He practiced as a lawyer while participating in Democratic politics, serving as a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, and 1956. From 1933 to 1937, Reams served as prosecutor of

Lucas County, Ohio Lucas County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is bordered to the east by Lake Erie, and to the southeast by the Maumee River, which runs to the lake. As of the 2020 census, the population was 431,279 ...

. During this time, Reams led a campaign to clean up Toledo and rid the city of the many gangsters and bootleggers who resided and did business there. Reams was most well known for leading the prosecution of Thomas "Yonnie" Licavoli, who controlled bootlegging and illegal gambling operations in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

and Toledo. Licavoli was sentenced to life in prison and served a 37-year sentence at

Ohio Penitentiary The Ohio Penitentiary, also known as the Ohio State Penitentiary, was a prison operated from 1834 to 1984 in downtown Columbus, Ohio, in what is now known as the Arena District. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as the ...

starting in 1935. Gov.

Martin L. Davey Martin Luther Davey (July 25, 1884March 31, 1946) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio. He was the 53rd governor of Ohio. Childhood Davey was born in Kent, Ohio in 1884. His father was John Davey, better known as the tree doctor a ...

appointed Reams to investigate easy prison conditions and Reams's investigation of the luxuries that Licavoli was benefitting from at the Ohio Penitentiary resulted in the dismissal of the warden. In 1935, Reams got into a public dispute with Lucas County Common Pleas Court Judge Roy R. Stuart. A grand jury convened by County Prosecutor Reams had issued indictments of two brothers of Toledo Mayor Addison Q. Thacher, a Republican, on charges related to welfare payments and bank closings. Judge Stuart ordered the dismissal of the grand jury and Reams filed an "affidavit of prejudice," which prevented Stuart from hearing any criminal matter until the accusation of prejudice could be heard. In 1936, Reams sought the Democratic nomination for the office of

Ohio Attorney General The Ohio Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state, State of Ohio in the United States. The office is filled by general election, held every four years. The Ohio Attorney General is Republican Dave Yost. History The office ...

, but he lost to

Herbert S. Duffy Herbert Smith Duffy (February 25, 1900 – February 29, 1956) was Ohio Attorney General from 1937 to 1939 and from 1949 to 1951. Duffy, a Democrat from Columbus, Ohio, settled a case against the Ohio Bell Telephone Company. The case was before ...

. In 1937, Reams formed the law firm Reams, Bretherton & Neipp. His partners were Thomas A. Bretherton and Morton Neipp, both of whom had worked for him in the prosecutor's office. In 1938, Reams founded Toledo's second radio station, WTOL. He added an FM sister in 1949, WTOL-FM. In 1957, he signed on Toledo's second television station,

WTOL-TV WTOL (channel 11) is a television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc., which provides certain services to Fox affiliate WUPW (channel 36) under a joint sales agreement (JSA) with American Spi ...

. He sold the television station in 1966, but his family kept the radio stations well into the 1990s. From 1939 to 1945 he served on the Toledo Port Commission. From 1942 to 1944, he was collector of internal revenue. In 1944, Reams sought the Democratic nomination for

Governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, but he placed fourth in the contest that was won by

Frank Lausche Frank John Lausche (; November 14, 1895 – April 21, 1990) was an American Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the 47th mayor of Cleveland and the 55th and 57th governor of Ohio, and also served as a United States Senator from Ohio ...

. Once Lausche won the governorship, he appointed Reams to the office of state director of public welfare, where Reams served from 1945 to 1946. In 1950, Reams, according to his ''New York Times'' obituary,No author. "Frazier Reams; Served in House." ''New York Times'' ew York, N.Y. 16 Sept. 1971, p. 46. split with the Democratic organization in Toledo and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as an independent. He served in the

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

from 1951 to 1955, during the 82nd and 83rd Congresses, and represented the ninth congressional district of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. However, in 1954, Reams was unsuccessful in his bid for a third term in Congress, losing his seat to a fellow Democrat, Thomas Ludlow Ashley. In 1951, Reams served as a delegate to the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

. In 1953 and 1954, he was a delegate to the

Interparliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; othe ...

Conference. From 1937 to 1960, Reams served on the board of the Community Broadcasting Co. (the operator of WTOL and WCWA radio and

WTOL WTOL (channel 11) is a television station in Toledo, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc., which provides certain services to Fox affiliate WUPW (channel 36) under a joint sales agreement (JSA) with American Spi ...

TV), which he had founded in 1928. In 1955, Reams was one of the founding directors of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. From 1948 to 1957, he was a trustee of

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

. From 1965 until his death, he was chairman of the board of Reams Broadcasting Corp. After his retirement, Reams moved to

San Mateo, California San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...

. He died in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

in 1971 and was buried in the

Woodlawn Cemetery (Toledo, Ohio) Woodlawn Cemetery is a rural cemetery and arboretum located in Toledo, Ohio. It is one of several cemeteries in the United States to have that name, and one of a few to be on the National Register of Historic Places. Established in 1876, it sits ...

. Reams's son, Frazier Reams Jr., was the Democratic nominee for Ohio governor in 1966.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reams, Frazier 1897 births 1971 deaths People from Franklin, Tennessee Politicians from Toledo, Ohio Members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio University of Tennessee alumni Vanderbilt University Law School alumni United States Army personnel of World War I United States Army officers Military personnel from Tennessee County district attorneys in Ohio Ohio Democrats Ohio Independents Independent members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians Lawyers from Toledo, Ohio Tennessee lawyers 20th-century American lawyers

Life and career

See also

Sources