Burton Samuel Barr

Legislative Resolution

View Legislative Resolution File for Burton Samuel Barr

Biographical Information

Burton S. Barr was born in Portland, Oregon where he attended Irvington Elementary School and Benson Polytechnic High School.  He earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in accounting and a minor in history from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon.

During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Infantry starting out as a 2nd Lieutenant.   He was awarded two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for heroism in battle in North Africa, Anzio, Cassino, southern France, Germany and Austria.  Maj. Burton Barr was Executive Officer for the 1st Battalion, B Company, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry.   He commanded three Medal of Honor recipients, including Audie Murphy.   Barr had reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by the time he was discharged in 1946 after a year's hospitalization for hepatitis.  He continued in the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring as a Colonel in 1964.

Burton S. Barr moved to Arizona in the early 1950s and was a manager of a food equipment company and later owner of Maverick Store Fixture and Supply Company.

In the November 1964 General Election Burton Barr was elected to the Arizona House of Representatives and he continued to be re-elected for the next 20 years.  As a result of a series of "One Man, One Vote" rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court, power in the Arizona Legislature would shift from  the rural areas of the state to the urban centers and from Democrats to Republicans.

In 1975, Burton Barr was elected Majority Leader and he was instrumental in creating the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, a substitute for Medicaid, and he helped equalize disparities in school funding and reworked the tax code.  (Associated Press.  "Ex-Ariz. House leader Barr, 'a tough hombre,' dies." Arizona Daily Star, January 15, 1997.)

In 1986, Burton Barr ran for governor but was defeated in the Republican primary by Evan Mecham, who went on to win in the General Election.

The following is from the Legislative death resolution:

The People of Arizona have lost an extraordinary leader. The Honorable Burton S. Barr, war hero, devoted family man, public policy architect and legislative statesman, passed away at the age of seventy-nine on Monday, January 13, 1997.

Burton Barr represented north central Phoenix in the Arizona House of Representatives for twenty-two years from 1964 to 1986.  He was the Republican majority leader for twenty of those years.  It is said that Mr. Barr was involved in some way in every major piece of legislation during his distinguished tenure.  Vehicle inspection, health care for indigents, school aid, the tax code, prison reform, child care, groundwater management and freeway funding are a few of his many accomplishments.  According to Burton Barr: "We operated on a thesis that we wanted to do things."

Called "Mr. Magic" by his colleagues, Representative Barr is best known as a great compromiser.  It did not seem to matter whether the Governor or the Senate was Democrat or Republican, Barr worked effectively with either party and placed the good of the State above politics.  He brought wit and civility to any honest disagreement and crafted measures that were acceptable to all the parties involved.

During World War II, Barr served gallantly in North Africa, Italy, France and Germany, earning two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars.  He reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1946 and retired from the Army Reserve as a full colonel in 1964.

That same year Burton Barr began his political career, winning a tough race in legislative district 18 by walking the neighborhoods in a successful door-to-door campaign.  He took on the Democratic majority in the House and outmaneuvered them.  In 1966, after Republicans gained majority status, one political era ended and the Barr era began.

Despite a surprising loss in his bid to be Governor in 1986, Mr. Barr continued to be an active public advocate, playing key roles in obtaining major sports franchises for Arizona and acting as arbiter to settle the difficult relations between the Governor's office and the Indian Tribes regarding Indian gaming.

This highly energetic and witty lawmaker is praised by political figures from both parties.  Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, a Democratic Governor during Barr's reign in the House, stated that Representative Burton Barr's passing "is truly a passing of an era".

Burton Barr's legacy lies in his uncompromising dedication to the best principle of democracy -- the good of the people. He will be greatly missed by his family, his many friends and by the citizens of the State of Arizona.

Military Experience

World War II veteran; U.S. Army, 1940-1946:  awarded two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for heroism in battle in North Africa, Anzio, Cassino, southern France, Germany and Austria, but preferred to talk about three Medal of Honor recipients he commanded including Audie Murphy; discharged after a year's hospitalization for hepatitis; U.S. Army Reserve,  retiring as a Colonel in 1964; May 30, 2001 he was inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame.

Additional Information

HR2001-44th Arizona Legislature, 1st Regular Session (January 25, 1999):  "That the Members of the House of Representatives are pleased to honor the late Burton S. Barr with the dedication of a bust in his likeness that will stand in the lobby of the House of Representatives as an inspiration of what true public service can be."

Employment

Arizona Legislative Service

Sources

Birth: Arizona Legislative Biography sheet, parents:  H. M. and Ella B. Barr, middle name: Ancestry Nevada Marriage Index; Death: SSDI; Cemetery:  U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Nationwide Gravesite Locator:  BARR, BURTON S, COL US ARMY, WORLD WAR II, DATE OF BIRTH: 10/14/1917, DATE OF DEATH: 01/13/1997, BURIED AT: SECTION 60  SITE 3792, ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY