Education
Born in Carlton, Barrett was educated there at Street Mary"s Anglican School before becoming apprenticed as a tinsmith.
Born in Carlton, Barrett was educated there at Street Mary"s Anglican School before becoming apprenticed as a tinsmith.
In 1895, he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly as the member for Carlton South, where he remained until 1897. In 1901, he was elected to the Australian Senate as a Labor Senator from Victoria, although he was also endorsed by the Protectionist Party. He was defeated in 1903, but continued to be active in the union movement.
He was also an active prohibitionist.
Barrett died in 1928.
He was one of only three Labor members elected to the first Parliament from Victoria (the other two were members of the House of Representatives, Frank Tudor and James Ronald).
