A Guide to the Spencer Reid Subject Files, 1949-1998

Biographical Note

Spencer Lloyd Reid (1954-2010), lawyer and general counsel for the Texas General Land Office and the State of Texas, was born in Lamesa, Texas to Bill and Alice Reid. Reid graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 1976, and in 1979 he graduated from the University of Texas Law School and became a member of the state bar. Reid worked for the state of Texas his entire career, starting with a position as Assistant Sergeant at Arms for the Texas House in 1972. Reid’s service at the General Land Office ran from 1979-2003 under Land Commissioners Bob Armstrong, Garry Mauro, and David Dewhurst. He was first hired as staff attorney in 1979, and promoted to Land Resources Supervisor in the legal division in 1983. In 1985 he was made Director of Asset Analysis and Disposition in the new Asset Management Division. In 1988 Reid became Deputy Commissioner of the Asset Management Division. From 1994-1998 Reid served as Senior Deputy Commissioner over several divisions, including Asset Management, Oil Spill Prevention and Response, Energy Resources, and the Veterans Land Board. In 1999 Reid became Senior Deputy Commissioner for Legal and Professional Services, over Legal, Appraisal, Surveying, and Asset Inspection divisions. Reid’s responsibilities at the General Land Office also included serving as General Counsel from 1996 and Chief Clerk from 1998 until his departure from the General Land Office in 2003. He then served as General Counsel for Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst.

Reid served as director of asset analysis and disposition and then deputy Commissioner of the Asset Management Program Area, which was created in in 1985. The program area was organized to comply with legislation charging the GLO with managing all state-owned lands, regardless of the owning agency. This change in mandate created several new and expanded duties of the land office. The office began investigating the earnings and production of state-owned mineral land in West Texas, made land sales and trades as necessary, and improved state-owned lands in urban areas.

Sources

1. “Obituary: Spencer Lloyd Reid.” Web. 30 Jan. 2012. Legacy.com. Originally published in the Austin American-Statesman on November 17, 2010.

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Contents of the Records

The Spencer Reid Subject Files include correspondence, reports, printed materials, legal documents, photographs, maps, and clippings collected and created while working in several legal capacities at the Texas General Land Office. While many files include correspondence, and correspondence makes up the majority of all documents, it should be noted the correspondence consists of copies rather than originals, and is not generally from Spencer Reid. Files that include photographs or maps are noted in the inventory.

Subjects covered include coastal lands, disputes and relationships between private and public lands, oil and gas mineral lands, the Permanent School Fund, environmental issues (particularly on the coast), the urban site of Central Park in Austin, Texas, and the superconducting supercollider site near Waxahachie, Texas.

Files were compiled by Reid during his research as lawyer, legal counsel, chief clerk, and supervisor and deputy commissioner of Asset Management Program Area. Official reports, correspondence and other work that appears on the records retention schedule can be found in the archival administrative records. Exceptions are Correspondence and Memos that were not filed according to the records schedule and can be found in the Spencer Reid Subject Files.

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access note

Unrestricted access.

Use Restrictions

Materials may be under copyright protection. US copyright law does allow for reproduction of materials under copyright for uses such as critique, criticism, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, locating copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections material in print or electronic form.

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Spencer Reid Subject Files (SRP). Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin.

Processing Information

Processed by Garrett Merket and Lauren Goodley, January 2012.

Return to the Table of Contents

Detailed Description of the Collection

Return to the Table of Contents