Thomas J. Reed Sr. (1927 − October 27, 1997) was a civil rights leader, restaurant owner, and politician who served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1970 to 1988, and 1995 to 1997, as a member of the Democratic Party.

He unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Tuskegee in 1968, before being elected president of the Alabama NAACP, which he would hold almost continuously until 1989.

During Reed's tenure in the state legislature he chaired the Public Welfare committee and unsuccessfully ran for speaker pro tem.

Reed led an unsuccessful attempt, where he and 13 other legislators were arrested, to remove the Confederate Flag from above the Alabama State Capitol.

[13][14] Reed appealed the subcommittee's decision, but the Democratic Executive Committee ruled in favor of Paulk.

[15] Reed received the nomination of the National Democratic Party of Alabama and defeated Paulk in the general election.

Reed and Fred Gray were the first black people elected to the Alabama state legislature since the end of Reconstruction.

[25] John Allie James, Charles Arrington, and Mable Freeman challenged Reed's candidacy in the 1978 election based on his 1977 bribery conviction, but the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee declined to remove him from the ballot.

[29][30] A special election in 1983 for the entire state legislature was ordered by a federal court and Reed won in the 82nd district without opposition.

[37] He announced his campaign on March 21,[38] and placed first in the Democratic primary before defeating John McGowan in the runoff.

[42][43][44] During his tenure in the state house he served on the Tourism, Entertainment and Sports, Navigation and Water Ways, and Rules committees.

[47] Governor Fob James appointed Reed to the Tuskegee Institute Board of Commissioners in 1980,[48] and served until his replacement by Demetrius Newton 1988.

[57][58] Reed was a member of Alabamians for Democracy which called for Charles Graddick to run a write-in campaign during the 1986 gubernatorial election.

[65][66][67] Reed later supported Carter and proposed a resolution, which was passed by the state house, congratulating him after receiving enough delegates to win the nomination.

[71][72] During a speech on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1988, Reed stated that God paralyzed Wallace as a punishment for his racism.

[74][75] In 1976, Reed was accused of attempting to bribe Perry to vote in favor of legislation to establish a dog racing track in Macon County.

[77] Perry stated that "I was completely convinced they would kill me if I didn't do what they wanted" and recorded his conversations with Reed for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

[85] Attorney General Bill Baxley ruled that he was removed from the state legislature, but Reed refused to vacate his seat and Wallace declined to call a special election.

[89][90] Phelps later ruled that Reed was ineligible to hold office and invalidated his victory in the 1978 election and the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals upheld his 1977 conviction.

[91][92] The Supreme Court of Alabama allowed him to stay in the legislature during his appeal on the condition that he post a $10,000 bond and repay legislative expenses if he lost.

[96][97] Reed sought $59,500 in damages in order to repay the legal fees that originated from Baxley's prosecution and the Alabama Board of Adjustment gave him $11,855 in 1981.

[113] On September 30, Reed was found guilty in the federal case on one count of extortion and one county of inducing Bobby to cross state lines to participate in an illegal activity.

[114] Reed refused to resign from the state house and Judge Charles Price ruled that he could retain his seat until sentencing.

[135] He was described by Gray as "a trailblazer... (h)e did an excellent job of representing not only his constituents, but all people", and by Alabama House Speaker James S. Clark as a "pioneer of the civil rights movement".

[150] Shinhoster called for attempts to remove the Confederate flag from the capitol buildings of multiple southern state, but the Alabama NAACP declined to support Reed's protest.

[152][153] On February 2, Reed attempted to climb the capitol building with fellow legislators Alvin Holmes, Henry Sanders, and Fred Horn accompanying him, but was arrested.

[155][156] Reed was one of fourteen black legislators arrested on the day alongside Holmes, Horn, Sanders, James Buskey, John Buskey, Pat Davis, George Perdue, John Rogers, Lewis Spratt, James L. Thomas, Bryant Melton, Earl Hilliard Sr., and Michael Figures.

[159] Reed and Gray proposed to have the next 100 hired employees of the Alabama Highway Patrol be black and eventually reduced the amount to 10, but all of their attempts failed.