after the war, reed was elected to the house of representatives in the fifteenth congress, serving from march 4, 1817 to march 3, 1819. he was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1818 to the sixteenth congress, but successfully contested the election of jeremiah cosden to the house in the seventeenth congress and served the remainder of the term from march 19, 1822 to march 3, 1823.