W. T. Reid

William Thomas Reid (November 8, 1843 – December 17, 1922) was an American educator who served as the fourth president of the University of California from 1881 to 1885.

Early life Reid was born on November 8, 1843, on a farm outside Jacksonville, Illinois. He entered Illinois College in 1859 but left in 1861 to join the Union Army. He served until the end of the war as a member of the 68th Illinois Infantry Regiment and later as the commander of the prison camp in Alexandria, Virginia.

Career

From 1868 to 1871, Reid was the headmaster of Newport High School in Newport, Rhode Island. He then served as first assistant to the headmaster of the Boston Latin School. From 1873 to 1875 he was the superintendent of schools in Brookline, Massachusetts. During Reid's tenure, the University hired noted professors George Herbert Palmer and Josiah Royce.