William Nathan Barrett (November 24, 1855 – December 16, 1916) was an American politician and lawyer in

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. A native of Washington County, he served in both chambers of the

Oregon Legislative Assembly The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

, including three different times in the Oregon House. A Republican, he was also a three time mayor of

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many high-technology companies, ...

Early life

William Barrett was born in

Washington County, Oregon Washington County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon and part of the Portland metropolitan area. The 2020 census recorded the population as 600,372, making it the second most populous county in the state and most populous "Wash ...

, to Eliza Jane Barrett (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Purdin) and William R. Barrett on November 24, 1855.Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co, 1910. p. 85. There he attended the local public schools before attending

Tualatin Academy Tualatin Academy was a secondary school in the U.S. state of Oregon that eventually became Pacific University. Tualatin Academy also refers to the National Register of Historic Places-listed college building constructed in 1850 to house the academ ...

in Forest Grove, Oregon, for his secondary education. Barrett then attended the affiliated Pacific University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in June 1879. Following college he

read law Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...

at the office of attorney and politician

Thomas H. Tongue Thomas H. Tongue (June 23, 1844January 11, 1903) was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. Born in England, his family immigrated to Washington County, Oregon, in 1859. In Oregon, he would serve in the Oregon State Senate, S ...

in Hillsboro. On November 18, 1882, he married Lucretia H. Parrish. After studying law he passed the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in October 1884 and began practicing law. Barrett partnered with

William D. Hare William Davenport Hare (September 1, 1834 – February 6, 1910) was an American politician in Oregon. He served as a Republican member of the Oregon Legislature and the 8th mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon. His other duties included those of custo ...

in a Hillsboro firm until 1886 when he opened his own office. In 1892, he created a partnership with Loring K. Adams, lasting until 1897 when he returned to a solo practice.

Political career

Barrett would serve as a deputy

district attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a l ...

for Washington County and later as district attorney for Oregon's fifth judicial district. In 1880, he served as a Republican in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 65,000. The House meets in the west wing of the ...

serving Washington County. He returned to the House in 1891. In 1896, he was elected as the 15th different person to be mayor of Hillsboro.Mayors: City of Hillsboro. ''

The Hillsboro Argus ''The Hillsboro Argus'' was a twice-weekly newspaper in the city of Hillsboro, Oregon, from 1894 to 2017, known as the ''Washington County Argus'' for its final year. The ''Argus'' was distributed in Washington County, Oregon, United States. First ...

'', October 19, 1976 Barrett was also the first to serve consecutive terms, holding office from December 8, 1896 until December 5, 1899. He then served on the city council from 1901 to 1902. After a few years away from the mayor's office, he returned as mayor and served from December 2, 1902 to December 15, 1903, when he was succeeded by Benjamin P. Cornelius. Barrett returned to state politics in 1906 and was elected to the Oregon House to represent Washington County. The Republican was then elected to the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

in 1908 and served in the regular and special sessions of 1909. He continued his four-year term at the 1911 secession when his district included Washington, Yamhill, Lincoln, and Tillamook counties.

Later years

William N Barrett - Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Oregon

In 1915, he returned to the office of mayor for Hillsboro, assuming the position on January 5 and serving until his death. He was a member of the Masonic Order and of the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

. William Nathan Barrett died on December 16, 1916, while in office, and was buried at the family's plot in the Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery.Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Inscriptions, Surnames A - B.
Cemeteries. Retrieved on April 25, 2008.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, William N. Republican Party Oregon state senators Republican Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Pacific University alumni Mayors of Hillsboro, Oregon 1855 births 1916 deaths Burials at Hillsboro Pioneer Cemetery Hillsboro City Council members (Oregon) District attorneys in Oregon 19th-century American politicians Lawyers from Hillsboro, Oregon American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law 19th-century American lawyers