Universalist clergyman, educator, politician, b. Walton, Delaware County, N.Y. He was educated by private tutors, and ordained as a Universalist minister in 1836. He served as pastor in various New York towns and Richmond, Va., before moving to Racine in 1846. At Racine he founded and edited (1849-1852) The Old Oaken Bucket, a temperance magazine, and served as the first superintendent of the city schools (1849-1853). From 1855 to 1858 he was state superintendent of schools. He was an advocate of the educational theories of Horace Mann, and supported such ideas as the creation of district normal schools, teachers' institutes, and consolidation of school districts. During the Civil War, Barry served as a military chaplain (1861-1862, 1864-1865), and was appointed a hospital chaplain by President Lincoln (1865). In the meantime he represented Kenosha County in the state assembly in 1864. After the war he was an active member of the Wisconsin Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and served as chaplain of the organization for many years. Wis. Mag. Hist., 10; Madison Wis. State journal, Mar. 28, 1888; W. C. Whitford, Historical Sketch of Educ. in Wis. (Madison, 1876); WPA field notes; A. C. Barry Papers.Learn More
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[Source: Dictionary of Wisconsin biography]
