Joseph M. Barr
{{Short description|American politician}}
{{other people||Joseph Barr (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Joseph M. Barr
| image = Joseph M. Barr of Pittsburgh greet Mayo at the U.S. Conference of Mayor's Congressional Reception January 21 in the Mayflower Hotel, Washington (12775125494).jpg
| caption = Barr in 1961
| order = 53rd Mayor of Pittsburgh
| term_start = December 2, 1959{{cite news|last=Christopher|first=Frank|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=December 2, 1959|page=1|title=Barr In, Paints Bright Future|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=qWAqAAAAIBAJ&pg=4290%2C314016}}
| term_end = January 5, 1970{{cite news|newspaper=The Pittsburgh Press|date=January 5, 1970|page=2|title=Council Balks Appointments By Pete|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HkwqAAAAIBAJ&pg=3159%2C1450887}}
| predecessor = Thomas Gallagher
| successor = Pete Flaherty
| office1 = 25th President of the United States Conference of Mayors
| term1 = 1967–1968
| predecessor1 = Jerome Cavanagh
| successor1 = Terry Schrunk
| office2 = Member of the
Democratic National Committee
from Pennsylvania
| term_start2 = December 16, 1966{{cite news|title=Francis Smith Withdraws As Candidate|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ErphAAAAIBAJ&pg=807,1586779&dq=chairman+pennsylvania+democratic+party&hl=en|access-date=January 12, 2012|newspaper=The Gettysburg Times|date=December 13, 1966}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2011}}
| preceded2 = David Lawrence
| succeeded2 = Robert Jones
| office3 = Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party
| term_end3 = July 23, 1959{{cite news|title=Mention Rice For Barr Post|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=bjwmAAAAIBAJ&pg=986,3209617&dq=rice+barr&hl=en|access-date=January 12, 2012|newspaper=The Gettysburg Times|date=July 9, 1959}}
| predecessor3 = Maurice Splain, Jr.
| successor3 = John Rice
| state_senate4 = Pennsylvania
| district4 = 43rd
| term_start4 = January 7, 1941
| term_end4 = November 29, 1959
| constituency4 =
| predecessor4 = Thomas Kilgallen
| successor4 = John Devlin
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1906|5|28|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1982|8|26|1906|5|28|mf=y}}
| death_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| constituency =
| party = Democratic
| spouse =
| profession = Salesman
| signature =
| footnotes =
}}
Joseph M. Barr (May 28, 1906 – August 26, 1982) was an American politician who held a variety of positions, including an eleven-year tenure as mayor of Pittsburgh from 1959 to 1970.
Life
Barr was born in Pittsburgh to James P. and Blanche E. Moran Barr.{{Cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/BiosHistory/MemBio.cfm?ID=4672&body=S|title=Joseph M Barr|website=The official website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly.|access-date=2016-03-10}} He married Alice White, when she was 29 and he was 43. White had been active with women's Republican groups in Chicago{{Cite web|url=http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/obituaries/news/s_461286.html|title=Mayor's wife supported husband, charities|last=Rittmeyer|first=Brian C.|website=TribLIVE.com|language=en-US|access-date=2016-03-10}} but left the Republican party in support of her Democrat husband.{{Cite web|url=http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=ascead&cc=ascead&rgn=main&view=text&didno=US-PPiU-ais198610|title=Mayor Joseph M. Barr Photograph Collection|last=Archives Service Center|date=March 2011|website=Guides to Archives and Manuscript Collections at the University of Pittsburgh Library System|publisher=ULS Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh Library System|access-date=March 10, 2016}} Together they had two children, Alice ("Candy") and Joseph ("Skipp).
Pittsburgh politics
In 1959 Barr the consummate Harrisburg insider and Lawrence the seasoned Pittsburgh chief swapped roles, with Barr coming "home" and running for Mayor and Lawrence becoming Governor of Pennsylvania.{{Cite news|url = https://www.nytimes.com/1982/08/28/obituaries/joseph-barr-76-dies-was-pittsburgh-mayor.html|title = Joseph Barr, 76, Dies; Was Pittsburgh Mayor|date = 1982-08-28|newspaper = The New York Times|issn = 0362-4331|access-date = 2016-03-10}} He was instrumental as mayor in completing many of the Lawrence programs, while at the same time having the city's infrastructure catch up to all the progress that Lawrence instituted. Expanded and modernized street lights, water services and the stadiums were all hallmarks of Barr's leadership. He oversaw the completion of both Three Rivers Stadium and the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, both having bogged down in heated political disputes during Lawrence's tenure.{{Cite web|url=https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/collection/data/30938258|title=ArchiveGrid : Mayor Joseph M. Barr photograph collection, 1956-1969.|website=beta.worldcat.org|access-date=2016-03-10}}
State Democratic politics
In 1940, Barr became the state's youngest state senator, serving the Pittsburgh-area in Harrisburg. Barr was elected chair of the State Democratic Party in 1954, and was elected Pennsylvania's male representative on the Democratic National Committee following Lawrence's death in 1966. He retired from public life in 1972.
{{Portal|Biography|Politics}}
Other work
Later life
Barr died on August 26, 1982. He is buried in Pittsburgh's St. Mary Cemetery.
References
{{reflist}}
{{S-start}}
{{S-off}}
{{Succession box | before=Thomas Gallagher | title=Mayor of Pittsburgh |
years=1959–1970 | after=Pete Flaherty}}
{{s-par|us-pa-sen}}
{{succession box | before= Thomas Kilgallen | title= Member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the
43rd District | years=1941–1960 | after=John Devlin}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{succession box | before=David Lawrence | title= Member of the Democratic National Committee
from Pennsylvania | years=1966–1972| after=Robert Jones}}
{{succession box | before=Maurice Splain, Jr. | title= Chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party | years=1954–1959| after=John Rice}}
{{S-end}}
{{Mayors of Pittsburgh}}
{{United States Conference of Mayors Presidents}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barr, Joseph M.}}
Category:Pennsylvania Democratic Party chairs
Category:Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators
Category:Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors
Category:20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly