John S. Barry
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John Steward Barry (January 29, 1802 – January 14, 1870) was elected three times as Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. He was Michigan's only three-term governor in the 19th century. His most noteworthy accomplishment was bringing the state out of bankruptcy after the Panic of 1837.
Barry was born in Amherst, New Hampshire to John and Ellen (Steward) Barry. While he was young, the family moved to Rockingham, Vermont where he worked on his father's farm and received an education in the local schools. He married Mary Kidder, of Grafton, Vermont, and in 1824 went to Georgia, Vermont, where he taught scholl while studying law. He began to practice law, and while in Georgia he was also a member of the Governor’s staff.
In 1831, he moved to White Pigeon, Michigan where he became a merchant and was active in politics. In 1834, Barry moved to Constantine, Michigan and opened a general store in that village's first frame-built building. He became Justice of the Peace in 1831 while in White Pigeon and continued until 1835. Barry was a prominent participant in the 1835 convention that drafted Michigan's first constitution.
When Michigan became a state of the Union in 1837, Barry was a State Senator and was recognized as a leader of the state Democratic party. He was selected by the party to run for Governor in 1841. He won that election and was reelected in 1843. His administration was popular, but he was limited by the constitution to two consecutive terms.
During Barry's first term, the University of Michigan first opened for students in 1841 in Ann Arbor after moving there from Detroit. The Michigan Central and Michigan Southern Railroads greatly expanded. In 1845, at the end of his second term, the population of the state was more than 300,000.
After a hiatus, the popular Barry was again elected Governor in 1849, serving from 1850 to 1852. He was defeated in 1853 and again ran unsuccessfully in 1859. He also ran unsuccessfully to be a U.S. Representative in 1856.
During Barry’s third term the Normal School (now Eastern Michigan University) was established in Ypsilanti. A new state constitution was adopted in 1850.
Throughout his career, he was a supporter of the Wilmot Proviso, intended to stop the spread of slavery, but he remained a member of the Democratic Party, becoming sympathetic with the "ultra" wing during the Civil War. He was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1856 and 1864.
Gov. Barry became deeply interested in the cultivation of the sugar beet in 1840 and visited Europe to obtain information in reference to its culture.
Barry's home in Constantine is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
External links
- Biographical Portrait (http://www.memoriallibrary.com/MI/LivIngPB/gov~105-142.htm#Barry) from 1892 Portrait & Biographical Album of Genesee, Lapeer & Tuscola Counties, Chapman Bros.