The son of one of the nation's founding fathers, Read made numerous attempts at higher political office but was ultimately unsuccessful each time.

Despite this, his substantial wealth acquired through his family and law career allowed him to build one of the largest homes in Delaware, which is today maintained as a museum.

His father was George Read, a prominent lawyer and politician who would go on to sign both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The job meant that Read would be responsible for prosecuting cases brought in federal court in the state of Delaware.

[4][5] In 1803, Read was nominated by the Democratic-Republicans for a U.S. Senate seat in Delaware, losing 20–9 to Federalist incumbent Samuel White.

[6] Read was called to testify before the Senate as a prosecution witness in the 1805 impeachment trial of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase.

[4][7] In 1812, upon hearing of the death of U.S. District Judge Gunning Bedford Jr., Read wrote a letter to President James Madison seeking to be appointed to the bench.

During the convention, the two were generally aligned in advocating in favor of making substantial revisions to the Constitution in New Castle County's interests.

[13] Read purchased a lot in New Castle immediately adjacent to his father's home in 1797, where he began building a grand mansion for himself and his new family.

Architect Benjamin Latrobe, who resided for several years in New Castle and became an acquaintance of Read's, wrote that he found the arrangement quite wasteful, as the waterfront lot was amongst the most valuable in town.