The Biographical Dictionary of America/Barrett, William E.

​BARRETT, William E., representative, was born at Melrose, Mass., Dec. 29, 1858. He was graduated from Dartmouth college in 1880, and became assistant editor on the Messenger, St. Albans, Vt., where he remained for two years. In 1882 he connected himself with the Boston Daily Advertiser, and was sent to Washington as regular correspondent for that paper. In 1886 Mr. Barrett left Washington to take the position of president of the Advertiser newspaper company, publishers of the Advertiser and Evening Record. He was elected a representative to the Massachusetts legislature in 1887, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92; became speaker of the house in 1889, and was re-elected every year to 1892 without opposition. In 1894 he was the Republican nominee for governor. He was elected a representative to the 54th U. S. Congress on the Republican ticket, and made himself conspicuous by his attitude on the Venezuelan matter, and by his efforts for the impeachment of Mr. Bayard, United States ambassador to Great Britain. He was re-elected to the 55th Congress in 1896.