Isaac Barré

Isaac Barré (1726 – July 20, 1802), British soldier and politician. Born in Dublin he was the son of a French refugee. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin, entered the army, and in 1759 was with Wolfe at the taking of Quebec, on which occasion he was wounded in the cheek. His entry into parliament in 1761 under the auspices of Lord Shelburne, who had selected him "as a bravo to run down Mr Pitt," was characterized by a vigorous attack on William Pitt the Elder, of whom, however, he became ultimately a devoted adherent. A vigorous opponent of the taxation of America, Barré displayed his mastery of invective in his championship of the American cause, and the name "Sons of Liberty," which he had applied to the colonists in one of his speeches, became a common designation of the American organizations directed against the Stamp Act, as well as of later patriotic clubs. His appointment in 1782 to the treasurership of the navy, which carried with it a pension of £3200 a year, at a time when the government was ostensibly advocating economy, caused great discontent; subsequently, however, he received from the younger Pitt the clerkship of the pells, a sinecure for life, in place of the pension, which thus was saved to the public. Becoming blind, he retired from office in 1790 and died on July 20, 1802. The city of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania was named for John Wilkes and Isaac Barré. The towns of Barre, Massachusetts and Barre, Vermont^[1] were named for Isaac Barré.