Redd was born and raised in southeastern Utah, and attended Brigham Young University (BYU) before serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pacific Northwest.

[5] At age eleven Redd contracted pleurisy, and spent nearly two months in Salt Lake City undergoing medical treatment.

[7] Following his completion of the eighth grade in Bluff, Redd attended Brigham Young High School in Provo, Utah.

[8] During his time in school Redd studied business and agriculture, and was active on the baseball team and in the theater program.

[9][10] In addition to attending high school at Brigham Young Academy, Redd studied there for his undergraduate degree.

In December 1914, he was named manager of the newly organized La Sal Livestock Company, of which his father was the largest shareholder.

[16] In 1918, Redd built and began operating the La Sal Livestock and Store Company, which sold dry goods, hardware, farm machinery, haying equipment, and more.

[18] Redd served as the postmaster of La Sal for fifty years, with the post office located inside his store.

In the 1940s, Redd introduced crested wheatgrass from Canada to his ranch to provide spring grazing fodder for his cattle.

[22] In 1957, The Salt Lake Tribune wrote that he was "regarded as the largest individual stockman in Utah", owning thousands of acres of land.

[31] In 1926, Redd announced during his reelection campaign that he would move to repeal the law during the 1927 legislative session, given the negative public opinion and controversy surrounding the sport and the practice of betting.

[36][37] Part of Redd's decision to make horseracing illegal again was based on information he heard from George Relf about corruption in the horse racing industry in Utah.

[40] In addition to his activities as a rancher and politician, Redd was involved with the Regional Executive Committee of the Boy Scouts, the Pacific National Life Assurance Company, the U.S.

In a letter addressed to his sons, Redd wrote the following with regards to his involvement in various organizations and activities:[40]Ranching, no matter how successful it is money-wise, will not be a desirable vocation unless you have time to read, travel, and make use of cultural opportunities.

I would like to see you get squared around so you could spend at least a month out of each year with your families perhaps attending short courses or visiting some foreign land or doing things that will be pleasant and at the same time help you culturally and spiritually.

[53] Naegle lived with her mother and siblings in Castle Dale, Utah, and Ammon, Idaho before attending Brigham Young University.

[60] The family would return to their home in La Sal in the summers, and during this time Redd would send his sons to work with local ranchers and cowboys.

[61] In 1969, Redd suffered a cardiovascular episode referred to by many as a "stroke", and lost his ability to speak, walk unassisted, and drive.