Vernon Reed

Vernon Reed
Vernon Reed in 1910
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Bay of Islands
In office 17 November 1908 – 8 May 1915
Preceded by	Robert Houston
Succeeded by	William Stewart
In office 19 March 1917 – 17 November 1922
Preceded by	William Stewart
Succeeded by	Allen Bell
Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 16 June 1924 – 15 June 1931
Personal details
Born	(1871-05-07)7 May 1871 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	26 May 1963(1963-05-26) (aged 92)
Nationality	New Zealander
Political party	Liberal Party, then Reform Party
Other political affiliations	National Party
Relations	George McCullagh Reed (father) Sir John Reed (brother) James Fergusson (brother-in-law) Thomas Williams (father-in-law)
Alma mater	University of Sydney

Vernon Herbert Reed (7 May 1871 – 26 May 1963) was a Liberal Party and from 1912 a Reform Party member of parliament in New Zealand. He was later a member of the Legislative Council.

Reed was the youngest son of George McCullagh Reed, a newspaper proprietor, and Jessie Chalmers Reed (née Ranken). He was born in Auckland, where his father had moved to in circa 1870 after several years in Queensland, Australia. An elder brother was John Reed.

Reed received his education at Victoria College, Jersey, Dulwich College, London, and the University of Sydney, New South Wales. He was in England from 1878 to 1887. In 1889, he joined the Daily Telegraph and in 1891 moved to The Sydney Morning Herald where he also stayed for two years. He moved to Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands at the end of 1893 or 1895 (sources differ) and commenced legal studies. He took over his brother's legal practice upon his brother's move to Auckland in 1896. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1899, and five years later, he was admitted as a barrister. Reed was clerk and treasurer to the Bay of Islands County.

Reed played cricket as a batter and bowler, representing both Dulwich College in 1886 and the Bay of Islands in 1897. He also played rugby union as a forward and represented Auckland Province in 1889, Victoria in 1890, New South Wales Colony in 1891 and 1892 and the Hawke's Bay Province in 1895. While in the Hawke's Bay, Reed captained the Waipawa Branch Union.