John S. Barry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 4th & 8th Governor of Michigan | |
| In office January 3, 1842 – January 5, 1846 | |
| Lieutenant | Origen D. Richardson |
| Preceded by | J. Wright Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Alpheus Felch |
| In office January 7, 1850 – January 1, 1852 | |
| Lieutenant | William M. Fenton |
| Preceded by | Epaphroditus Ransom |
| Succeeded by | Robert McClelland |
| Member of theMichigan Senate from the 3rd district | |
| In office November 2, 1835 – January 6, 1839 | |
| In office January 4, 1841 – January 2, 1842 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1802-01-29)January 29, 1802 |
| Died | January 14, 1870(1870-01-14) (aged 67) |
| Nationality | American |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mary Kidder |
John Stewart Barry (January 29, 1802– January 14, 1870) was the fourth and eighthgovernor of Michigan. He was Michigan's only three-term governor in the 19th century. His main accomplishment was to rationalize state finances after the state'sinternal improvements fiasco.
Barry was born inAmherst, New Hampshire, to John and Ellen (Steward) Barry.[1] While he was young, the family moved toRockingham, Vermont, where he worked on his father's farm and received an education in the local schools. He married Mary Kidder, ofGrafton, Vermont, and in 1824 went toGeorgia, Vermont, where he taught school while studying law. He began to practice law, and while in Georgia he was also a member of the Governor’s staff. Barry was of primarily English ancestry but was also partially of Welsh descent. The bulk of his immigrant ancestors came toNew England fromEngland as Puritans in the 1630s and 1640s. Out of his 32 great-great-great grandparents, 31 of them were from Puritans from England and 1 of them was an Anglican fromMontgomeryshire,Wales.[2]
In 1831, he moved toWhite Pigeon, Michigan, where he became a merchant and was active in politics. In 1834, Barry moved toConstantine, Michigan, and opened a general store in that village's first frame-built building. He becamejustice of the peace in 1831 while in White Pigeon and continued until 1835. Barry was a prominent participant from the 13th district in the 1835 convention that drafted Michigan's firstconstitution.
When Michigan became a state of the Union in 1837, Barry was astate senator (1836, 1840) and was recognized as a leader of the stateDemocratic Party. In 1840, Barry became deeply interested in the cultivation of thesugar beet and visited Europe to obtain information in reference to its culture.
He was selected by the Democratic Party to run for governor in1841. He won that election and was reelected in1843.
During Barry's first term, theUniversity of Michigan first opened for students in 1841 inAnn Arbor after moving there from Detroit. TheMichigan Central andMichigan 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 in1849, serving from 1850 to 1852, becoming the first Michigan governor to serve non-consecutive terms. During Barry’s third term the Normal School (nowEastern Michigan University) was established inYpsilanti. A new state constitution was adopted in 1850. He was defeated in his1854 run for the reelection and again ran unsuccessfully in1860.
He also ran unsuccessfully to be aU.S. Representative fromMichigan’s 2nd congressional district in 1856 againstRepublicanHenry Waldron.
Throughout his career, he was a supporter of theWilmot Proviso, intended to stop the spread of slavery, but he remained a member of the Democratic Party, becoming sympathetic with the "ultra" wing during theCivil War. He was a delegate to theDemocratic National Conventions of1856 and1864.
Barry retired to private life after the beginning of the ascendancy of the Republican Party duringReconstruction, and carried on his mercantile business at Constantine. He died at age 67, his wife's death having occurred a year previous, on March 30.
Barry's home in Constantine, theGovernor John S. Barry House, has been listed on theNational Register of Historic Places since 1972.[3][4]
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1841,1843 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1849 | Succeeded by Robert McClelland |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1854 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Michigan 1860 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Michigan 1842–1846 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Michigan 1850–1852 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
