Barrett was born in
Omaha, Nebraska, to a family of eight. His parents were Patrick J. Barrett and Elizabeth A. Curran Barrett. His mother and his paternal grandparents emigrated to the United States from
Ireland. He studied
law and
science at
Creighton University, and worked as a postal employee at the same time. During
World War I, Barrett joined the Balloon Corps of the
United States Army for a two-year enlistment. He married Alice Catherine Donoghue on May 21, 1919, and they moved to
Lusk,
Wyoming. After arriving in Lusk, Barrett put his law degree to good use, acting as county attorney for
Niobrara from 1922 until 1934. He served in the
Wyoming Senate from 1933 until 1935, then served on the
Board of Trustees of the
University of Wyoming. He first ran for Federal office in 1936, but lost out to
Paul Greever. He stood for Congress again in 1942, and won, serving there until 1950. In 1951, Barrett was sworn in as Governor. He was defeated after only one term by one of O'Mahoney's former aides,
Gale McGee. ==Family life==