Barry was born in County Mayo, Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1907 with his parents, Thomas J. and Catherine J. (Hennelly) Barry, who settled in Queens County, New York. He attended public schools and graduated from New York University in 1925 and from New York University School of Law in 1929. He was admitted to the bar in 1929 and commenced practice in New York City. He married Emily B. La Mude on February 7, 1934.

Barry served as assistant district attorney of Queens County, New York, in 1932 and 1933. He was special United States attorney for the Department of Justice between 1933 and 1935 and a member of the Democratic executive committee of Queens County between 1930 and 1935.^[1]

Congress edit

Elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William F. Brunner as representative for New York's second district, Barry was reelected to the Seventy-fifth and to the four succeeding Congresses and served from November 5, 1935, until January 3, 1945. Elected for the fourth district, he served from January 3, 1945 until his death on October 20, 1946.^[2]

Barry died, from pneumonia, in St. Vincent's Hospital, New York, New York County, New York, on October 20, 1946 (age 44 years, 91 days). He is interred at Mount St. Mary Cemetery, Flushing, Queens, New York.^[3]

• List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)

• United States Congress. "William Bernard Barry (id: B000191)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• William Bernard Barry at Find a Grave