Geoffrey Reed
| Sir Geoffrey Reed | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 1st Director-General of Security | |
|
In office 9 March 1949 – 30 June 1950 |
|
| Prime Minister |
Ben Chifley (1949) Robert Menzies (1949–1950) |
| Succeeded by | Sir Charles Spry |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Geoffrey Sandford Reed 14 March 1892 Port Pirie, South Australia |
| Died | 31 December 1970 (aged 78) North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
| Spouse(s) | Kathleen Matthews |
| Alma mater | University of Adelaide |
| Profession | Barrister, jurist |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Australia |
| Service/branch | Australian Army |
| Years of service | 1918–1919 |
Sir Geoffrey Sandford Reed KC (14 March 1892 – 31 December 1970) was a justice of the Supreme Court of South Australia and the first Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).
He was born in Port Pirie on 14 March 1892, the first child of William Reed and his wife Elizabeth, née Lathlean. William Reed was an Wesleyan clergyman, and Geoffrey was educated at Prince Alfred College, a Methodist school. Reed studied Law at the University of Adelaide and was admitted as a solicitor and barrister on 25 April 1914. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 18 February 1918, and was married later the same year to Kathleen Matthews. He was posted to England and France and served with a supply depot. He was discharged in Adelaide on 21 May 1919.
Through the 1920s and 1930s, Reed became a partner in McLachlan, Reed & Griffiths, was active in the Law Society of South Australia and lectured in law at the University of Adelaide. He chaired a Royal Commission on transport in 1937, and in August 1938 was appointed King's Counsel. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of South Australia in 1943, having acted as judge for a period earlier.
Reed was involved in security, including chairing the South Australian National Security Advisory Committee from 1941. He undertook a number of inquiries on security issues for the Federal Government. Reed was appointed as Commonwealth Director-General of Security on 2 March 1949. A fortnight later, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation was established. The Australian Government of Ben Chifley was pressured by its allies to address security shortcomings at the beginning of the Cold War.
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