James A. Reed was a political ally of Thomas Pendergast and served as a Kansas City mayor, senator, and presidential candidate. Reed arrived in Kansas City in 1887 and began a law practice. In 1896 Reed was appointed county counselor and in 1898 was elected prosecuting attorney for Jackson County. He caught the eye of the Pendergast brothers, Jim and Tom, and in 1900 Reed received the Democratic nomination for mayor and won the election. His election as mayor marked the rise of alderman Jim Pendergast as a political force in Kansas City. Reed served as mayor from 1900 to 1903. His accomplishments included rebuilding the Convention Hall after it burned, the establishment of a $15 million relief fund for the victims of the 1903 flood, and the acceptance of land from Colonel Thomas H. Swope for the building of Hospital Hill. He served as a United States senator from Missouri for three terms, from 1910 to 1929. Reed was a candidate for the presidency in 1924 and 1928. After his political career, Reed resumed his law practice in Kansas City (-Nancy J. Hulston on the Sundance Photo Gallery website). In this traditional head and shoulders portrait, Reed maintains a stern, hard-line expression. He wears a suit jacket and tie. Hixon did not make many outright manipulations to the photograph, but the contrasting shadow embarking the right side Reed's face articulate his glare.