Henry W. Barry

Henry W. Barry
Congressman Henry W. Barry
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Mississippi's 3rd district
In office
April 8, 1870 – March 4, 1875
Preceded byWilliam Barksdale
Succeeded byHernando Money
Personal details
BornApril 1840 (1840-04)
Schoharie County, New York, US
DiedJune 7, 1875(1875-06-07) (aged 35)
Washington, D.C., US
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKate Thyson Barry
ProfessionSoldier, lawyer, politician
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861–1866
RankBrevet Brigadier General
Colonel
Unit10th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry
Commands8th U.S. Colored Heavy Artillery
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

Henry W. Barry (April 1840 – June 7, 1875) was a Union army officer during the American Civil War, reaching the rank of Brevet Brigadier General. He commanded a regiment of United States Colored Troops. After the war, he became an attorney and politician.

Born in New York, Barry moved to Kentucky as a young man to teach school. He enlisted there in the Union Army during the war, being commissioned as an officer. In 1862 Barry recruited African Americans to Kentucky's militia. After the United States Colored Troops were established in 1863, Barry served as an officer of an African-American unit stationed in Kentucky and Texas.

After the war Barry earned a law degree in Washington, D.C. He moved to Columbus, Mississippi, where he set up a practice and became involved in politics. He served as a delegate to the 1867 state constitutional convention, and was elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1868. In 1870 he was elected as U.S. Representative from Mississippi's 3rd congressional district, serving until 1875. He died shortly after, at age 35.