Editing Thomas Brackett Reed (section)

==State politics (1867–1876)==
===Maine legislator (1867–1870)===
After the war, Reed returned to Portland and was admitted to the Maine bar in October 1865. He opened a practice in Portland, taking petty civil and criminal cases.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}} In 1867, his colleague [[Nathan Webb (judge)|Nathan Webb]] secured Reed's nomination for the [[Maine House of Representatives]]; after some persuading, Reed agreed to run. In the heavily Republican city of Portland, he was easily elected; he was re-elected to a second term in 1868.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}}

Reed, one of the youngest members of the Maine House at the time, served on the joint legislative committee on the judiciary and drafted a bills for a general law of incorporation and the abolition of [[capital punishment]] in the state; both failed.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}} He distinguished himself for parliamentary skill in the 1869 U.S. Senate election between former Vice President [[Hannibal Hamlin]] and incumbent Senator [[Lot M. Morrill]], whom Reed supported. In the Republican caucus to nominate a candidate, Reed moved to rule a blank ballot invalid, breaking a tie in favor of Morrill.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}} (Hamlin was later elected by a vote of the whole legislature.) Despite his youth, by March 1869 the Portland ''Press'' considered Reed "the actual though not the nominal leader of [the House]."{{sfn|Robinson|1930|p=23}}

In 1869, Reed was elected Senator for [[Cumberland County, Maine|Cumberland County]]. He continued to serve on the joint committee on the judiciary and successfully led the fight to delay construction of the [[Portland, Rutland, Oswego and Chicago Railroad|Portland and Rutland Railroad]]. He also paid homage to his former patron, Senator Fessenden, who died in 1869. Though Fessenden had become unpopular in the state owing to his vote against the impeachment of [[Andrew Johnson]], Reed aggressively defended Fessenden's legacy and wartime service.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}}

Reed later reflected that his greatest achievement as a state legislator was securing the re-organization of the Cumberland County courts in an effort to reduce the time necessary to bring cases to a final judgment.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}}

===Attorney General of Maine (1870–1873)===
In January 1870, the Republican caucus nominated Reed for [[Maine Attorney General|Attorney General]], and he was elected easily.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=26–31}} As Attorney General, Reed significantly raised his profile. His first months in office were marked by the high-profile trial of a man charged with killing his wife's lover. Overcoming a "[[crime of passion]]" defense, Reed won a manslaughter verdict, though he had asked for a charge of murder. As a result, Reed advocated for the abolition of [[spousal privilege]], which had excluded the only witness, the defendant's wife, from testifying. He also advocated separately as Attorney General for [[Bail|bail bond]] reform and an increase in the State's [[peremptory challenge]]s in [[jury selection]].{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=26–31}} Most of Reed's suggestions did eventually become law, but were not adopted immediately, which he attributed to the fact that [[prosecutor]]s were barred by virtue of their office from advising the legislature.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=26–31}}

He continued to oppose the railroad corporations, calling for an increase in the $5,000 cap (${{Inflation|US-GDP|5000|1870|fmt=c}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) on [[wrongful death claim]]s and challenging the merger of the Portland and Kennebec with the [[Maine Central Railroad|Maine Central]] under a writ of [[quo warranto]]; his action was rendered moot when the legislature recognized the merger as valid.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=26–31}} In 1894, Reed spoke out in favor of consolidation and declared the writ was a mistake, arguing that the merger had "resulted in better stations, better trains, better transportation facilities of every kind."{{sfn|Robinson|1930|p=28}}

Reed served as Attorney General for the three years prescribed by tradition before leaving office in 1873.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=20–25}} He returned to a more lucrative private practice and served for three years as Portland city solicitor, representing the city in personal injury suits and routine business.{{sfn|Robinson|1930|pp=26–31}}