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Bill Barrett | |
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNebraska's3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Virginia Smith |
| Succeeded by | Tom Osborne |
| Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature | |
| In office 1987–1991 | |
| Preceded by | William E. Nichol |
| Succeeded by | Dennis G. Baack |
| Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 39th district | |
| In office 1979–1991 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert J. Duis |
| Succeeded by | Edward J. Schrock |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Edgar Barrett (1929-02-09)February 9, 1929 Lexington, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 2016(2016-09-20) (aged 87) Lexington, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Elsie |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Hastings College (BA) |
William Emery Barrett (February 9, 1929 – September 20, 2016) was an AmericanRepublican politician fromNebraska who served five terms in theUnited States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2001 as the congressman forNebraska's third congressional district.
Barrett was born inLexington, Nebraska. He attendedHastings College and then earned his license to become areal estate broker.[1]
Before seeking elective office, he served in theUnited States Navy, was a longtimereal estate agent and Republican activist. He had also previously served as an administrator at his college alma mater. Barrett served as a member of the Nebraska Republican State Executive Committee in the 1960s and chaired the Nebraska arm of PresidentGerald Ford's campaign in 1976.
In 1978, Barrett was elected to the unicameralNebraska Legislature, where he served until his election to Congress.[2] He was speaker of the legislature from 1987 to 1991 and generated some controversy in that position after heated state budget negotiations.
In 1990, Barrett entered the Republican primary for the 3rd District after eight-term incumbentVirginia D. Smith announced her retirement. Despite being the highest-profile candidate in the field, he only won the five-way primary by 2,000 votes. He then faced fellow state senatorSandra Scofield in the general election. Although Barrett was initially thought to be a prohibitive favorite in this heavily Republican district, the race was extremely close, with Barrett only prevailing by 4,400 votes. This was the closest a Democrat had come to winning the 3rd since Smith won her first race in 1974 by only 737 votes. Barrett never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected four more times by well over 70 percent of the vote; the Democrats did not field a challenger in 1998.
In Congress, Barrett was a low-key member who generally supported the priorities of Republican leaders. He served on theHouse Agriculture Committee, helping write theFreedom to Farm Act of 1996 and eventually rising to become vice chairman, as well as theEducation and the Workforce Committee. Barrett retired from Congress in 2000 and resided in Lexington. He died on September 20, 2016, at age 87 at an assisted living facility in Lexington.[3][4]
| Nebraska Legislature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Herbert J. Duis | Member of theNebraska Legislature from the 39th district 1979–1991 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature 1987–1991 | Succeeded by Dennis G. Baack |
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska's 3rd congressional district 1991–2001 | Succeeded by |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
