Barré, Isaac

BARRÉ, ISAAC. (1726–1802). British officer and politician. Born in Dublin in 1726, Barré graduated from Trinity College in Dublin in 1745 and immediately entered the army as an ensign. During the unsuccessful attack on Rochefort in 1757 he won the high regard of James Wolfe as well as that of the colonel of his regiment, William Petty Fitzmaurice, Lord Shelburne. He was with Wolfe when the latter was killed at Quebec, Barré himself receiving a disfiguring wound when a bullet struck his cheek and remained lodged there. William Pitt turned down Barré's application for advancement in 1760, but later named him lieutenant colonel and placed him in command of the 106th Foot (infantry) from 1761 to 1763.

Through Shelburne's influence, Barré entered Parliament on 5 December 1761. Five days later he delivered a vehement speech against Pitt. On 7 February 1765 he blasted the proposal to tax the American colonists and referred to them as "sons of liberty." The Patriots adopted this name for the groups opposing the Stamp Act. Almost without rival as an opposition orator, he was a hero in America, a terror to the British government, and second only to John Wilkes in the unpopularity he incurred with George III. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was named after these two. Barré continued his rhetorical barrage on the government for the next ten years, becoming a close ally of Pitt's in the process. When news of Bunker Hill reached England, Barré accused the troops of misbehavior. When Shelburne became prime minister briefly in 1782, he made Barré treasurer of the navy, a very lucrative post. Barré went blind in about 1783, but remained in Parliament until forced out in 1790 after a disagreement with Shelburne. He died on 20 July 1802.

SEE ALSO Wilkes, John.

                      revised by Michael Bellesiles