The 30th Lucas County Prosecutor had a varied and highly distinguished political career. He was born in Franklin, Tennessee, in 1897, the son of a Methodist minister, and was educated in the Tennessee Public Schools. After graduating with a B.A. from the University of Tennessee, he attended Vanderbilt University Law School from which he received an LLB in 1922. He moved to Toledo that year joining his older brother, Glenn, who was serving a medical residency at the Toledo Hospital. Reams was admitted to the Ohio Bar that same year.

He entered the practice of law with the firm of Tracy, Chapman and Welles in 1922 and practiced with them until becoming Prosecutor of Lucas County in 1933. Following his retirement from that office, in 1937, he founded the law firm of Reams, Bretherton and Neipp, with former Assistant Prosecutors, Thomas A. Bretherton & Morton Neipp.

Prior to being elected Lucas County Prosecutor in 1933, Reams was the Vice-President and a Director of the Commercial Savings Bank & Trust Co. from 1925-1930. During this period, he was also an active community supporter, being active in the Chamber of Commerce and Boy Scouts of America, as well as being Commander of the American Legion Post (he was a World War I U.S. Army Veteran).

Reams is one of the most famous and best remembered of all of the Lucas County Prosecutors because he was responsible for the prosecution of Yonnie Licavoli, the so-called "Lord of the Underworld" in the early 1930s in Toledo. In 1978, a Blade correspondent, William Brower, wrote of the relationship:

"Mr. Reams and a brilliant team of assistants nailed Licavoli and four of his underlings, on murder-conspiracy charges. Indictments were returned in 1934 against the ringleader and 12 of his henchmen. Licavoli was sentenced to life in prison. He was paroled in 1972, the year after Reams died, after 37 years in prison. Licavoli died of cancer in 1973."

The news reports of the period indicate that the Licavoli gang was an especially vicious one. Because of its proximity to Detroit, Toledo was an evil and dangerous city during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The notorious Purple Gang, led by Thomas "Yonnie" Licavoli was chased from Detroit and settled in Toledo. Prohibition gangsterism was at its height and the Licavoli gang made Toledo one of its hot spots. Licavoli took over the rackets and gunfire and death reverberated through downtown Toledo.

Four Toledo gangsters were killed - - - Abe Lubitsky, Norman Blatt, Jack Kennedy and his girlfriend Louise Bell. The conflict between the Prosecutor's Office under Reams and Licavoli reached its apogee in 1934. A trial was held and Licavoli was convicted of complicity in the murder of the four gang members. Reams and his staff waged a spirited and devastating prosecution. In addition to sentencing Licavoli to the Ohio State Penitentiary, four other gang members were also sent to prison - - - Jacob "Firetop" Sulkin, Joseph English, Ralph Corsello, and John Rai. The prosecution and conviction received nationwide acclaim as the 37 year old silver haired eloquent prosecutor fought the tough mobster who became prisoner #68912 in the penitentiary.

In 1935, when Reams learned that Licavoli's life in prison was considerably more comfortable than the other prisoners, he gained appointment form Gov. Davey to investigate the life of privilege enjoyed by some of the incarcerated. This resulted in the dismissal of the warden and the amelioration of general prison conditions.

In the 1936 election, Reams was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Attorney General. He completed his term of Prosecutor, which expired in 1937, and returned to the private practice of law. Subsequently, he was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for Northwestern Ohio by President Roosevelt (1942-1944). In the 1944 election, Reams ran unsuccessfully against Frank Lausche in the Democratic Primary. Lausche, upon becoming Governor, appointed Reams Welfare Director for the State of Ohio, where he served for two years.

A lifelong Democrat, Reams ran for and was elected to the U.S. Congress as an Independent, in 1950, being the first person in 30 years to be elected as an Independent. He served two terms in Congress representing the Ninth Ohio Congressional District. He was a member of the Post Office and Civil Service Committees, as well as being a delegate from the U.S. Congress to the Council of Europe in 1950 which formed the European Defense Community. Congressman Reams always prided himself on "Voting his Conscience" in Congress, which was obviously encouraged by his political independence during those years.

After two terms in Congress, Mr. Reams was defeated by a young Democrat, Thomas Ludlow Ashley, who went on to serve 22 years in Congress. Reams returned to private law practice and to the Community Broadcasting Company a corporation he had incorporated in 1928. Community Broadcasting Corporation went on the air as WTOL (WCWA) radio in 1938, WTOL-FM (WIOT) in 1948 and WTOL-TV (CH 11) in 1958.

During his post Congressional years, Reams continued an active public life. In 1955, he was one of the founding Directors of the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority. He retired to San Mateo, CA., where he died in 1971 at the age of 74 years.