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National Council on the Arts Members

Harry Reid (U.S. Senate, D-NV)

Harry Reid is the second highest ranking Democrat in the Senate and was elected in 1998 to the post of Assistant Democratic Leader or "Whip." As deputy to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-ND), he is responsible for guiding legislation through the Senate and securing votes to pass key measures. He serves on the Senate Interior Appropriations Committee and on the Ethics, Environment & Public Works, Indian Affairs, and Aging Committees. Senator Reid was born in a small, rural mining town of Searchlight and attended high school in neighboring Henderson. He graduated from Utah State University and received his law degree from George Washington University while working as a policeman at the U.S. Capitol. Moving back to his home state, he became Henderson's City Attorney, was elected to the Nevada State Assembly at age 28, and become the youngest Lieutenant Governor in Nevada history in 1970. In 1977, he was appointed Chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission. In 1982, he won the first of two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and in 1986 he won the first of three terms in the U.S. Senate.