Reed Budge

Who is Reed Budge?

Reed William Budge was a politician and rancher in the U.S. state of Idaho. He resided in Soda Springs.

Budge was born in 1921 in Logan, Utah to Thomas and Duella Budge. He was a relative of former U.S. congressman Hamer H. Budge and Idaho Supreme Court justice Alfred Budge. Budge graduated from Utah State University in 1946 and also attended University of Chicago Medical School. He served in Europe during World War II as a medic, and was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, earning a Purple Heart and Silver Star for his actions.

In 1943, Budge was elected county commissioner of Caribou County, Idaho in 1943. Later, in 1967 he was appointed to complete a term as a Republican in the Idaho State Senate. During his time in the state senate for the 32nd district, Budge sat on transportation, health, environment, education and welfare committees. He was elected as pro tempore of the Idaho Senate in 1978, serving until 1982 when he was succeeded by Jim Risch. Budge also maintained an attendance record, described by a newspaper as "one of the most remarkable", not missing a senate session for 12 years until 1978, when a family death forced him to miss one. He retired from the senate in 1986. Budge suddenly died one year later at his home in Soda Springs of a heart attack, aged 66.