Active in local civic affairs, he chaired the Mississippi Economic Council from 1963 to 1964 and became a vocal proponent for public education.

Reed lost the general election but performed better than any Republican gubernatorial candidate had in Mississippi in the 20th century to that point.

He rejected a permanent job offer at Brooks Brothers and returned home in 1948 to help with his family's venture, Reed's Department Store.

[10] Following the Ole Miss riot, in which a white mob attempted to halt the integration of the University of Mississippi, and numerous calls by politicians to close the state's public schools, Reed delivered a speech at the Heidelberg Hotel on January 22, 1963.

[2] Though several state legislators in attendance walked out during his speech and one man bought a half-page newspaper advertisement to denounce him,[11] Reed later viewed it as his "defining moment" in civic affairs.

[12] He worked with Tupelo Journal publisher George McLean to cofound LIFT, a charitable organization which administered the Head Start program.

[15] The committee worked through the year to document perceived flaws in the state's education system and proposed reforms.

[20] Reed began mulling over the possibility of contesting the 1987 Mississippi gubernatorial election in 1986, though he was initially unsure of which party's nomination he would seek.

"[10] He ultimately won the Republican primary, defeating financial consultant Doug Lemon with 78 percent of the vote.

[22] Reed ran as a moderate in the general election against Democratic State Auditor Ray Mabus.

Mabus sought to increase teacher salaries to the Southeastern average rate within one year, while Reed proposed a five-year plan.

[27] Nevertheless, his 46.6 percent of the vote was the largest any Republican gubernatorial candidate had received in Mississippi in the 20th century to that point.

[30] After Bush became president, he appointed Reed to a seat on the National Advisory Committee on Education Research and Improvement in 1990.

[31][32] Reed was made the council's chairman, but felt the body accomplished little, and he left in 1993 upon Bill Clinton's assumption of the presidency.

[35] The commission held a public meeting chaired by him in Tupelo where many in the audience denounced the notion of taking the flag, and as a result Reed received angry letters and some protestors picketed his department store.