British Army Officer and Statesman. He was educated at Dublin's Trinity College and joined the British Army in 1746. Barré (pronounced "Barry") served in the French and Indian War, attained a prominent position as a Lieutenant Colonel on the staff of James Wolfe, was wounded at Quebec, and was with Wolfe when he died at Quebec. (Barré appears in the Benjamin West portrait "The Death of General Wolfe".) Barré then left the Army and won a seat in Parliament, where he served from 1761 to 1790. In concert with John Wilkes he led Members who favored American independence. During one of Barré's speeches he coined the phrase "Sons of Liberty", which was later adopted by the group which carried out the Boston Tea Party. While in Parliament Barré briefly held the posts of Treasurer of the Navy and Paymaster of the Forces, and later accepted appointment as Clerk of the Pells, a sinecure which enabled him to accumulate a sizable fortune. In his later years, the bullet lodged under Barré's right eye since Quebec caused him to go blind, and he resigned from Parliament and retired to his Stanhope Street home in London's Mayfair district. The town of Barre, Massachusetts is named for him, as is Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. There are also towns and cities named for Barré in Vermont, New York and Wisconsin. In addition, there is a memorial to Barré in New York City, and numerous eastern US cities have named streets for him.
British Army Officer and Statesman. He was educated at Dublin's Trinity College and joined the British Army in 1746. Barré (pronounced "Barry") served in the French and Indian War, attained a prominent position as a Lieutenant Colonel on the staff of James Wolfe, was wounded at Quebec, and was with Wolfe when he died at Quebec. (Barré appears in the Benjamin West portrait "The Death of General Wolfe".) Barré then left the Army and won a seat in Parliament, where he served from 1761 to 1790. In concert with John Wilkes he led Members who favored American independence. During one of Barré's speeches he coined the phrase "Sons of Liberty", which was later adopted by the group which carried out the Boston Tea Party. While in Parliament Barré briefly held the posts of Treasurer of the Navy and Paymaster of the Forces, and later accepted appointment as Clerk of the Pells, a sinecure which enabled him to accumulate a sizable fortune. In his later years, the bullet lodged under Barré's right eye since Quebec caused him to go blind, and he resigned from Parliament and retired to his Stanhope Street home in London's Mayfair district. The town of Barre, Massachusetts is named for him, as is Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. There are also towns and cities named for Barré in Vermont, New York and Wisconsin. In addition, there is a memorial to Barré in New York City, and numerous eastern US cities have named streets for him.
Bio by: Bill McKern
Advertisement
See more Barré memorials in:
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
