Nathaniel A. Barrett (1861-1933) was an American physician and politician. He was born on January 16, 1861, in

Lawrence County, Alabama Lawrence County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,073. The county seat is Moulton. The county was named after James Lawrence, a captain in the United States Navy from Ne ...

, to David B. Barrett and Charlotte Wilson Aldridge Barrett. His father was a carpenter and contractor. Barrett attended public schools in Lawrence County and a private school run by C.G. Lynch. He began to study medicine under Dr. C.A. Crow at

Moulton Moulton may refer to: Places in the United Kingdom ;In England *Moulton, Cheshire *Moulton, Lincolnshire **Moulton Windmill * Moulton St Mary, Norfolk *Moulton, Northamptonshire **Moulton College, agricultural college **Moulton Park, industria ...

, then spent one year in the medical department of the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

and later attended the medical department of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where he earned an

M.D. Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...

in 1886. Upon getting his degree, Barrett began practicing in

Danville, Alabama Danville, also known as Houstons Store, is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Morgan County, Alabama, United States, and is included in the Decatur metropolitan area and the larger Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area, Hunt ...

. There, he served as president as the Morgan County Medical Society and also as chairman of the county democratic executive committee. In 1891, he moved to East Lake, which was at that time not a part of

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. There, he built a large and lucrative practice. Barrett was active in the incorporation of East Lake as a municipality and served as its first and last mayor. East Lake adopted the code form of municipal government in 1910 during Barrett's last term as mayor. Barrett was elected president of the Birmingham Commission (a position equivalent to that of a mayor) in 1917 after a hotly contested race against George B. Ward, the incumbent. As head of the city's finance department, he brought the city's expenditures within its income. He also served as a member of the Jefferson County Democratic Committee. He was a member of the Knights Templar, the Shrine, Knights of Pythias, and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He was a Baptist and was active in church affairs. He married Annie P. Troup of Danville on May 5, 1891. Barrett died on September 12, 1933, in

Decatur, Alabama Decatur (dɪˈkeɪtə(r)) is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City", it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake ...

.'Funeral Services For Dr. Barrett,' Decatur Daily (Alabama), September 12, 1933

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Nathaniel 1861 births 1933 deaths People from Lawrence County, Alabama People from Morgan County, Alabama Physicians from Alabama Mayors of places in Alabama