- Date Of Birth: August 11, 1930
- Date Of Death: December 8, 2012
- State: Maine
Carlton Day Reed
Woolwich, Maine–Carlton Day Reed died peacefully Saturday December 8, 2012 of complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. He was 82.
He was born August 11, 1930 to Carlton Day Reed, Sr. and Louise Hinchey Reed in Bath, Maine. Known to all as “Bud”, he grew up in Days Ferry attending the one room schoolhouse in the neighborhood with his sisters Mary Lou, Hopestill and Hepzibah. Bud graduated from Morse High where he was a standout athlete in football, hockey and baseball. He took a post graduate year at Governor Dummer Academy in Byfield, MA before entering Colby College in 1949. Bud majored in history and excelled at athletics. In his senior year at Colby Bud captained the football and hockey teams.
Bud married the love of his life Helen Elizabeth Cummings of Bath while still a student at Colby. They were high school sweethearts and celebrated more than 60 years of marriage together.
Upon graduating from Colby in 1953, Bud joined his father in the family construction business Reed & Reed as a partner. He was a driving force as the company continued to prosper primarily building bridges throughout the state of Maine. He served as President until 1986 then as Chairman of the Board through 2010 and Chairman Emeritus at the time of his death.
Bud won a seat in the Maine House
of Representatives in 1958 and was elected to the Maine Senate in 1962 and re-elected in 1964. Bud was chosen by his peers as Senate President in 1965-66, the first Democrat in 54 years to hold this position and he served two more terms, one as minority leader. He was proud of his leadership in passing legislation to help clean-up Maine’s polluted rivers. In 1966 he ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for Governor of Maine.
Following his career in politics Bud was appointed a Trustee of the University of Maine system and a member of the Maine State Board of Education. He joined the Boards of Canal National Bank, Key Corp. and Central Maine Power Company where he rose to the position of Chairman of the Board from 1991 to 1995. He was profiled in the Wall Street Journal as a leading example of the independent role an outside Chairman should play.
Bud lived all of his life in Days Ferry, attending the one-room schoolhouse, serving the Days Ferry Congregational Church in various capacities including Deacon, Trustee and Treasurer. And he could often be found walking the shores of the Kennebec with his loyal dog Mallie.
