Presidents, Utahns, lawmakers mourn former Senate ‘giant’ Harry Reid

U.S. and Nevada leaders, as well as prominent Utahns, are mourning former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who died Tuesday at 82. Landra Reid says her husband died peacefully after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Reid, a Democrat, led the Senate under under two presidents, Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama. He retired in 2016.

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“Harry Reid and I grew up on different sides of the country, but we came from the same place where certain values run deep. Loyalty. Faith. Resolve. Service. During the two decades we served together in the United States Senate, and the eight years we worked together while I served as Vice President, Harry met the marker for what I’ve always believed is the most important thing by which you can measure a person — their action and their word. If Harry said he would do something, he did it. If he gave you his word, you could bank on it. That’s how he got things done for the good of the country for decades. … May God bless Harry Reid, a dear friend and a giant of our history.” — President Joe Biden.

from the WH — on Harry Reid. pic.twitter.com/EjkYUzWs31

— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 29, 2021

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“You were a great leader in the Senate, and early on you were more generous to me than I had any right to expect. … As different as we are, I think we both saw something of ourselves in each other — a couple of outsiders who had defied the odds and knew how to take a punch and cared about the little guy. … The world is better cause of what you’ve done.” — former President Barack Obama, in a letter he said he sent Reid before his death.
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BREAKING: Harry Reid, probably the most important elected official in Nevada history, has died at 82.

My condolences to his family and friends.

— Jon Ralston (@RalstonReports) December 29, 2021

“He was tough-as-nails strong, but caring and compassionate, and always went out of his way quietly to help people who needed help. He was a boxer who came from humble origins, but he never forgot where he came from and used those boxing instincts to fearlessly fight those who were hurting the poor and the middle class. … He’s gone but he will walk by the sides of many of us in the Senate every single day.” — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Today we lost one of the most efficient, bipartisan leaders of our time. Senator Harry Reid was a champion for working families not just in his community, but across the country. Let us honor his legacy by continuing to produce legislation that puts our people first. pic.twitter.com/9j3kfShe1i

— Rep. Val Demings (@RepValDemings) December 29, 2021

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Sometimes, in a quiet or difficult moment, Harry Reid would reach out. It was like he knew.

His counsel, encouragement, kindness, and generosity was so deeply moving. It was sincere. And I will never forget it.

Thank you, Senator Reid. Wishing peace and strength to his family.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) December 29, 2021

“To say Harry Reid was a giant doesn’t fully encapsulate all that he accomplished on behalf of the state of Nevada and for Nevada families; there will never be another leader quite like Senator Reid. … From humble beginnings in Searchlight, he became one of the state’s most powerful and fiercest advocates in Washington, D.C. He spent his life and his career fighting the good fight for all Nevadans.” — Gov. Steve Sisolak, D-Nev.
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The First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement Tuesday:
“Sen. Reid was a devoted and capable public servant who was dedicated to his family, his faith, and his country. We are grateful for his tireless service in each of these facets of a life well-lived. We pray that Sen. Reid’s loved ones will be blessed and sustained at this tender time of parting and in the years ahead.”

There may not have been an Affordable Care Act or even a President @BarackObama w/out Harry Reid. Yet when I asked how he hoped to be remembered, he said it was for his 62 yr marriage to wife Landra. “She is the most wondeful human being,” he beamed.
May his memory be a blessing. pic.twitter.com/SaNzrEcCQ0

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) December 29, 2021

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“With the passing of former Senate Majority leader Harry Reid we see the end of a remarkable story of someone rising from extremely humble circumstances to go on to become one of the most powerful political figures in America. Sen. Reid became known as a hard working deal maker that made him very effective in passing legislation and enabling his rise to leadership over 3 decades in the senate. We offer condolences to the family and friends of Senator Harry Reid.” – Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, R-Utah.

One of my favorite Harry Reid anecdotes: https://t.co/wM476YdeOR pic.twitter.com/8j9wtABePT

— Matt Ford (@fordm) December 29, 2021

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Reid was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the religion he converted to as a college student at Utah State University where he graduated in 1961. Reid also graduated from Southern Utah University that named a public lands center — the Harry Reid Center for Outdoor Engagement — after him. Some in the Cedar City community disagreed with Reid’s politics and eventually renamed the center.

Tuesday the university released a statement about Reid:
“Senator Reid is a classic SUU success story. He was from a rural Nevada community and he thrived at the College of Southern Utah (now Southern Utah University). He was involved in extra-curricular activities, discovered a love for learning and realized if he worked hard, he could succeed anywhere. He rose to national prominence and dedicated his life to public service. SUU is honored to be part of Senator Reid’s story.”

Our country has lost an honorable public servant. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid always fought for working families and the poor. Leader Reid was kind, generous, and always to the point. Landra and the entire Reid family are in our thoughts. pic.twitter.com/9dE1FY7p9i

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) December 29, 2021

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“Harry Reid was a champion for Nevada, helping preserve our precious environmental treasures, strengthen our rural communities, and build up our great cities. … And he never hesitated to fight for us, from blocking efforts to dump nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain to getting our state the federal support we deserve.” — Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Today we note the passing of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/USUAggies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#USUAggies</a> alum Harry Reid. After graduating from USU in 1961, Reid served as a U.S. senator for 30 years and Senate Majority Leader from 2007 to 2015. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy at USU lives on. <a href=”https://t.co/LpYbVjaLim”>https://t.co/LpYbVjaLim</a></p>&mdash; Utah State University (@USUAggies) <a href=”https://twitter.com/USUAggies/status/1476256163226271746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>December 29, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

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“Senator Harry Reid was a leader of immense courage and ferocious conviction who worked tirelessly to achieve historic progress for the American people. … Senator Reid leaves behind an extraordinary legacy of patriotism and leadership that will benefit the Congress and Country for decades to come. — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.
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“Senator Reid carried our state to new heights — nobody has done more in the history of our state to advance Nevada’s interests. Senator Reid also saw the potential in others and helped them grow to that potential. He was exceptionally kind and had a boundless passion for improving the lives of hardworking families.” — Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev.

All respect to Harry Reid, a man whose takeaway from the time he punched out his future father-in-law in the front yard was “life must be lived” pic.twitter.com/2s5GDWoptD

— Jay Willis (@jaywillis) December 29, 2021

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“From his time as my family’s home teacher and father of one of my dear friends, to when we were colleagues in the Senate, Senator Harry Reid was a kind, caring friend. He will be missed. Sharon and I are praying for Landra and their family.” — Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah

2021 takes another towering figure. Harry Reid was a fighter, as a young man in the ring and later in life in the arena of politics. He overcame the odds, leaving his mark on his beloved state of Nevada and the institution of the Senate. A life of consequence, and service.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) December 29, 2021

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“Nevada and our country lost a true leader with the passing of former Majority Leader Harry Reid. He never forgot where he came from — he loved Nevada fiercely, and he devoted his life to making our state a better place. Simply put, no one has done more for the Silver State.” — Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev.

Harry Reid was a fighter. He never gave up when it came to doing what was right for his state and his country. I am so honored to have had his mentorship, leadership, and most of all, friendship. My thoughts are with Landra and his whole family tonight.

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) December 29, 2021

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“Senator Harry Reid was a real-life hero; a colossus of Nevada and national politics who defined what it means to live your life in service to others. … His legacy will live on through his work to expand affordable health care, protect immigrant communities, promote conservation, and better the lives of working families — but also through the countless people he inspired and communities that he lifted.” — Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.

Harry Reid man what a life: (a thread)

Reid was the dirt-poor son of an alcoholic hard rock gold miner who grew up in Searchlight, Nevada, a failed mining community in the middle of the desert. His mom made ends meet by doing laundry for some of the thirteen local brothels. pic.twitter.com/4Gu89RbxXF

— Ari Rabin-Havt (@AriRabinHavt) December 29, 2021

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“He was a canny and tough negotiator who was never afraid to make an unpopular decision if it meant getting something done that was right for the country. … Because of the legislation he masterfully negotiated to passage, millions of Americans are living better lives.” — former President Bill Clinton.
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“I am sad tonight but grateful for the friendship I had with Harry. We disagreed on many things, sometimes famously. But we were always honest with each other. In the years after we left public service, that honesty became a bond. Harry was a fighter until the end. — former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
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Harry Reid’s last op-ed:

“The sanctity of the Senate is not the filibuster. The sanctity of the Senate—in government as a whole—is the power it holds to better the lives of and protect the rights of the American people.“ https://t.co/LwUHOiDUXH

— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 29, 2021

“Harry Reid was the embodiment of the American Dream. He worked his way up from a hardscrabble youth to become the Senate Majority Leader. I’m grateful to have known Harry and to have called him a friend. My heart goes out to the Reid family at this difficult time – former Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah

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Years ago a bishop told me he couldn’t believe Harry Reid had a temple recommend considering his views in support of “the gays.” So grateful that this man was better than his community when his community needed someone to be better than them.

— Eli McCann (@EliMcCann) December 29, 2021

“The nature of Harry’s and my jobs brought us into frequent and sometimes intense conflict over politics and policy. But I never doubted that Harry was always doing what he earnestly, deeply felt was right for Nevada and our country. He will rightly go down in history as a crucial, pivotal figure in the development and history of his beloved home state.” — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky,

It was our absolute honor to have hosted Sen. Harry Reid at Nationals Park over the years.

He was an incredibly knowledgeable baseball fan who loved the game.

He'll be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/9vsHCWiwTX

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) December 29, 2021

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“Even though we were rarely on the same page politically, Harry Reid was always gracious, classy, and warm in our personal interactions and I always appreciated that about him. We shared the bond of being members of the LDS faith, and he was a devoted family man. … Harry Reid’s impact and legacy will be long felt in Nevada and beyond.” — gubernatorial candidate and former Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev.