Edwin Thomas Reed was born in River Falls, Wisconsin on September 15, 1872. He attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1895 with a B.S. He then studied composition and literature at Harvard, earning a B.A. Reed spent a number of years at newspaper and teaching jobs and was the English Department chair at Moorhead State Teachers College. At Moorhead, Reed also supervised the library, directed the college's publications program, and had published two volumes of his poetry. He married Katharine May Hartwell in 1909. They two daughters and a son. Reed moved to Corvallis in 1911. Reed was asked by Kerr, the College's president, in the spring of 1912 to become the College's Editor of Publications. Reed served in this position until his retirement in 1943. He also served as Editor of Publications for the Oregon State System of Higher Education from 1932-1943. Many of his poems were published in magazines. Reed died at his home in Corvallis on August 25, 1948.
