The Philip D. Reed Chair in Science and Technology

The Philip D. Reed Senior Fellowship in Science and Technology was established in recognition of Mr. Reed’s contributions to the Council as a member of its Board of Directors from 1945 to 1969. It also recognizes his contribution to the field of science and technology as former Chairman of the General Electric Company. The chair was established by a gift from the Philip D. Reed Foundation with additional support provided by the Malcolm Hewitt Wiener Foundation.

The Reed Chair supports a senior fellow who explores the implications of scientific and technological developments for American foreign policy. In examining this relationship, the Reed Senior Fellow focuses particularly on questions of economic competitiveness, global environmental change, and third world development.

Philip D. Reed (1899-1989)

Philip Reed joined General Electric in 1926 as a member of its law department. He became general counsel to the Incandescent Lamp Department in 1934, and in 1937, he was appointed assistant to the president of the company. In 1939, he was named chairman of GE’s board of directors.

During World War II, Mr. Reed became chief of the Bureau of Industries, War Production Board, and in 1942 went to London as deputy to W. Averill Harriman, who headed a lend lease mission to England. In 1943, the president created the U.S. Mission for Economic Affairs in London and appointed Mr. Reed as its chief, with the rank of minister. Following the war, Mr. Reed returned to General Electric and again became chairman of the board of directors, a position he maintained until his retirement in 1959.

Philip D. Reed Senior Fellows in Science and Technology: