William Pelham Barr, born May 23, 1950, is an American attorney serving as United States Attorney General since 2019, and previously from 1991 to 1993.
He served as the 77th U.S. Attorney General from 1991 to 1993 during the George H. W. Bush administration and returned to the post as the 85th U.S. Attorney General in February 2019 during the Donald Trump administration.
Quick Facts and Information on William Barr
| Full Name / Real Name | William Pelham Barr |
| Birthday / Date of Birth | May 23, 1950 |
| Age | 70 |
| Birth Sign | Gemini |
| Born Country | The United States of America |
| Nationality | American |
| Hometown | New York City |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Profession | Attorney General |
| Education (High School / College / University) | Columbia University |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Wife | Christine Moynihan Barr |
| Children (Son, Daughter) | 3 Daughters |
| Social Media | Instagram / Facebook |
| Net Worth & Salary | $40 million |
| Height | 5’9” |
William Barr’s Education / Father / Mother
William Barr, age 70, was born in New York City to Donald Barr and Mary Margaret Ahern. Barr’s father, Donald, taught English literature at Columbia University before becoming headmaster of the Dalton School in Manhattan, then the headmaster of the Hackley School in Tarrytown, New York. Barr’s mother, Mary, also was a teacher at Columbia.
Barr was born to a religiously Jewish family but soon converted to Christianity and joined the Catholic Church. Barr has 3 siblings, all brothers, and one of them is a professor of physics at the University of Delaware.
As for his education, William Bar attended two schools; Corpus Christi School and then Horace Mann School. After graduating from high school, Barr continued his education at Columbia University. Barr graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1971. Additionally, Barr pursued further education with two more years of graduate study at Columbia and received a Master of Arts degree in Government and Chinese Studies in 1973.
William Barr’s Career
Once Barr received his Master’s degree, the Catholic man moved to Washington D.C. to pursue a career. For 6 years, Barr worked for the Central Intelligence Agency. During these years, Barr was also taking classes at George Washington University Law School and graduated with a Juris Doctor.
As soon as he graduated from law school, Barr transitioned to an assistant in the Office of Legislative Counsel and an agency liaison to Congress from 1975 to 1977. Soon after, William Barr got appointed by Former President George H. W. Bush to the US Depart of Justice as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel.
While serving in the George Bush presidency, William Barr was known as a strong defender of presidential power. He wrote legal justifications for the practice of rendition so that the FBI could enter onto foreign soil without consent of the host government to apprehend fugitives wanted by the United States government.
Currently, William Barr is the United States attorney general under the Trump presidency. He is the first person to be appointed to a second non-consecutive term as attorney general since 1850. This happened after William Barr was taken up by President Donald Trump as the chief defense lawyer for Trump regarding the Mueller investigation.
William Barr On Jeffery Epstein’s Death
After Jeffery Epstein’s death, William Barr publicly stated that he had his suspicions about Epstein’s death while behind bars. Epstein was held in one of the most secure jails in the US. However, Barr concluded that Epstein’s suicide was a “perfect storm of screw-ups”.
In a press release, William Barr said his concerns grew after a number of irregularities in the jail. According to Barr, there were a series of mistakes that gave Epstein the chance to take his life. Barr also reassured the public that Epstein really did kill himself. To erase suspicions, William Barr publicly confirmed that he reviewed security footage and came to the conclusion that no one was in the immediate area where Epstein was jailed.
Even though Epstein was placed on a suicide watch, the two officers who were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes didn’t do so, and this happened. Epstein’s cellmate was also not in the cell because of some complications. Barr also said that he is personally investigating to see if anyone personally tried to help Epstein.
William Barr Denies Systematic Racism in Police
Attorney General William Barr recently spoke in public and denied that systematic racism is a factor in the police shootings of unarmed Black men. Even if there are nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the US, William Barr seems to think that the police system in the US is fair and just.
“I do think that there appears to be a phenomenon in the country where African Americans feel that they’re treated, when they’re stopped by police, frequently as suspects before they are treated as citizens. I don’t think that that necessarily reflects some deep-seated racism in police departments or in most police officers…”
Barr said that people operate according to stereotypes. And according to him, law enforcement tries to make sure that they don’t reduce people to stereotypes and treats them as individuals. Many studies and people dispute William Barr’s claims.
There have been many studies that prove that police in the US are quick to pounce on the opportunity of catching and holding African Americans and Latinos in every aspect of life, be it driving or just a walk down the street. Even though this data shows otherwise, William Barr has publicly stated that it is “very rare for an unarmed African American to be shot by a white police officer.”
William Barr’s Married Life / Children
William Barr married Christine Moynihan Barr in 1973. His wife, Christine, holds a Master’s Degree in Library Science. The couple has three daughters, Mary Barr Daly, Patricia Barr Straughn, and Margaret (Meg) Barr.
Barr’s eldest daughter, Mary, was a senior Justice Department Official. Patricia Barr was born in 1981 and was the counsel for the House Agriculture Committee. Finally, Meg, the youngest daughter, was born in 1981 and is a former Washington prosecutor and cancer survivor.
William Barr Net Worth
William Barr’s financial state has always bloomed quite well. After leaving the Bush presidency, Barr’s financial life got a lot better. He owned a ton of shares in Verizon, then in Dominion and Time Warner. Barr was part of the boards of all these three publicly traded companies. Subsequently, William Barr joined a couple of other boards in other publicly traded companies and made a fortune for himself.
Besides all his shares, William Barr earns about $1 million from his job as a salary as well. Overall, William Barr has an estimated net worth of about $45 million.
