Meet Landra Gould Reid, wife of late senator Harry Reid, one of the most influential figures in US Politics. Here you’ll learn about their love story, their children, her job, and her family.
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Meet Landra Gould Reid, Harry Reid Wife
Harry Reid, the former Senate majority leader and the longest-serving member of Congress from Nevada, has passed away. He was 82 years old at the time. His wife Landra Gould Reid confirmed the death and revealed that he took his last breathe surrounded by friends and family.
Harry was fighting pancreatic cancer for four years. Reid in May 2018 had revealed he’d been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment.
Landra revealed, “Harry was a devout family man and deeply loyal friend. We greatly appreciate the outpouring of support from so many over these past few years. We are especially grateful for the doctors and nurses that cared for him. Please know that meant the world to him.”
Harry was known as the toughest dealmaker in Congress. A conservative Democrat in an increasingly politicized chamber whose gruff demeanor and this motto upset lawmakers from both parties, “I would rather dance than fight, but I know how to fight.”
His career in Washington thrived for 34 years behind the scenes. He kept the Senate controlled by his party through two presidents — Republican George W. (Ultram) Bush and Democrat Barack Obama — a crippling recession and the Republican takeover of the House after the 2010 elections.
However, he had retired in 2016 and was left blind in one eye.
Harry Reid was born on 2 December 1939 in Searchlight, Nevada, to an alcoholic father who committed suicide at the age of 58 and a mother who worked as a laundress in a brothel. He grew up in a small cabin with no running water and swam with other kids at a local brothel’s pool.
In his book, Harry wrote: “I loved my parents very much. They gave life everything they had. But no child should be raised the way I was raised.”
He hitchhiked 40 miles from home to Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada.
Harry Reid was elected to the Nevada Assembly at the age of 28 and, at the age of 30, became Nevada’s youngest lieutenant governor as Gov. Mike O’Callaghan’s running mate in 1970. But, as a young lawyer, he took pride in taking the cases of society’s underdogs, such as prostitutes and cocktail waitresses.
He also served on the state’s gaming commission during Las Vegas’ early days as a mecca for gambling (and organized crime). Landra discovered a bomb attached to the engine of the family station wagon near the end of his stint on the commission.
How Many Kids Do Harry Reid And His Wife Have?
Harry and Landra Gould Reid met each other in Henderson, Nevada while attending a high school where Landra was a sophomore.
“She was wearing short shorts, I remember that. And she was washing the family car,” Harry recalls in his book, “The Good Fight,” of the day he met his future wife, then Landra Gould. Reid was just a junior in high school, and she was a sophomore. “And I thought, wow, that’s a pretty nice car washer. ”
Harry borrowed a friend’s car to drive her to a movie on their first date, but the car didn’t have a starter, so the two pushed it instead. They both laughed it off, according to Reid. “There are moments that turn a life, and that stays with you until the last breath,” Reid recalled. “That was one of those moments for me.”
Once when he went to pick her up for a date, Landra’s father was so opposed to it, and Reid was so determined, the former boxer got into a fistfight with the man. He punched his future father-in-law in the face. Part of the problem was she was Jewish. Reid told in 2006, “As our relationship built, her parents realized that it could be something serious and it was a very difficult time, the last few years of courtship because they, of course, wanted her to meet somebody Jewish”
In an interview with CNN, Harry boasted, “She’s never changed. She’s 74 years old. She could win a beauty contest today.”
The couple tied the knots on 12 September 1959 in Utah where Harry had secured a scholarship to a junior college. The couple joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at Utah State University. They converted to Mormonism together after joining the church.
Together, they ended up having four sons; Rory Reid, Leif Reid, Key Reid, and Josh Reid, and a daughter named Lana Barringer Reid. His son Josh was born two months after Harry buried his dad.
Back in March 2010, Harry’s wife Landra and his daughter Lana had an accident. Landra underwent surgery after breaking her neck and back in a traffic accident. At a news briefing on Friday, Dr. Elizabeth Franco of Fairfax Inova Hospital’s Trauma Intensive Care Team claimed the senator’s wife can move her arms and legs and that the possibility of paralysis has gone.
Landra Gould Reid Age
As of December 2021, Landra Gould Reid is 80 years old.
Landra Gould Reid Job
Throughout Landra Gould Reid’s life with her husband Harry, she served him as her advisor. Harry never made any decisions without her input. She served as her closest confidant and ultimate adviser.
Harry wrote of his election-night deliberations, “We’ve been together since high school, so of course, no important decision would happen without her. In times of triumph and trouble, Landra is without fail the first person I turn to.”
In September 2011, a health diagnosis revealed Landra had stage II breast cancer. She underwent treatment for the disease that included chemotherapy at an undisclosed Washington, D.C., area facility. Sources close to Harry shared that his wife’s illness would not have any impact on Reid’s ability to carry out his duties as majority leader.
Is Landra Gould Reid On Facebook?
Landra Gould Reid is not available on Facebook.
Related FAQs
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Where Is Landra Gould Reid From?
Landra Gould Reid hailed from Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. She was born to an Orthodox Jewish family and was born to a pharmacist. Her father, a pharmacist by profession, provided her with a life of abundance.
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Where Did Landra Gould Reid Acquire Her Education?
Like Harry, Landra also attended Basic High School. She later joined Utah State University.
