[1] The family was engaged in open range cattle ranching, a practice common in the area in the years prior to World War II.

[2][5] Young Reaves worked alongside land baron Irlo Bronson in the cattle business, adopting the common rancher custom of wearing a stetson, which he continued to do the rest of his life.

[1][2] After military service, Reaves worked as public affairs representative with Southern Railway and moved to Georgia, taking up farming and cattle ranching in Quitman.

[9] He served for the next 38 years, representing a district including Brooks County, his home of Quitman, and a southern portion of the state, bordering Florida.

[13] He was also remembered as the principal proponent of legislation authorizing the Boll Weevil Eradication Program in Georgia, which reestablished cotton as a major cash crop in the state.