President Lyndon B. Johnson Succeeded by Donald C. Bruce Preceded by Henry H. Fowler Name Joseph Barr | Succeeded by David M. Kennedy Spouse Beth Williston (m. 1939) Preceded by Charles B. Brownson Party Democratic Party | |
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Born January 17, 1918
Bicknell, Indiana, U.S. ( 1918-01-17 ) Resting place Leeds Episcopal Church Cemetery, Hume, Virginia, U.S. Role Former United States Secretary of the Treasury Died February 23, 1996, Playa del Carmen, Mexico Previous office United States Secretary of the Treasury (1968–1969) Education Harvard University, DePauw University Similar People John F Kennedy, Robert Rubin, Timothy Geithner, Robert F Kennedy, Ted Kennedy | ||
1963 b star note barr note rare old series joseph w barr note found hunting currency
Joseph Walker Barr (January 17, 1918 – February 23, 1996) was an American businessman and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of the Treasury from December 21, 1968 until January 20, 1969, in President Lyndon B. Johnson's cabinet.
Contents
- 1963 b star note barr note rare old series joseph w barr note found hunting currency
- Early life and politics
- Treasury Department
- Later years and death
- References
Early life and politics
Barr was born in Bicknell, Indiana, on January 17, 1918, the son of Oscar Lynn Barr and Stella Florence Walker. He graduated from DePauw University, and married the former Beth Ann Williston in Indianapolis on September 3, 1939; they had five children: Bonnie Barr Gilliom, Cherry Ann Barr, Joseph Williston Barr, Elizabeth Eugenia Barr LoSasso and Lynn Hamilton Barr Fineberg. He was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and earned a master's degree in economics from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1941.
He served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1945, during World War II, with subchaser duty in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. He received a Bronze Star for sinking a submarine off Anzio Beach.
After Barr returned from the war, he engaged in the operation of grain elevators, theaters, real estate and publishing businesses. He was elected as a Democrat to the 86th United States Congress from the 11th district of Indiana (1959–1961). He lost the 1960 election and was appointed assistant for congressional relations to the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, and then in 1963 was appointed Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
Treasury Department
Barr served as the Undersecretary of the Treasury from 1965 to 1968, during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. With the resignation of Henry H. Fowler, he became the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury in 1968. He served the shortest term of any Treasury Secretary, resigning in early 1969.
Later years and death
United States paper money always depicts the signature of the Secretary of the Treasury; because of Barr's short term, collectors speculated notes bearing his signature would be scarce. A common misconception is that currency bearing Barr's name is rare. In reality, 458,880,000 $1.00 notes were printed bearing his signature (although none in other denominations), but due to the $1.00's limited lifespan (they are estimated to last an average of 21 months in circulation) it is unknown how many still exist.
Barr was the president and the chairman of American Security and Trust Company from 1969 to 1974 and the chairman of Federal Home Loan Bank in Atlanta, Georgia from 1977 to 1981.
Barr died of a heart attack in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and was interred in Leeds Episcopal Church Cemetery in Hume, Virginia.