William Emery Barrett was an American Republican politician from Nebraska who served five terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2001 as the congressman for Nebraska's third congressional district.
13 Facts About Bill Barrett
2.
Bill Barrett attended Hastings College and then earned his license to become a real estate broker.
3.
Bill Barrett had previously served as an administrator at his college alma mater.
4.
Bill Barrett served as a member of the Nebraska Republican State Executive Committee in the 1960s and chaired the Nebraska arm of President Gerald Ford's campaign in 1976.
5.
In 1978, Bill Barrett was elected to the unicameral Nebraska Legislature, where he served until his election to Congress.
6.
Bill Barrett was speaker of the legislature from 1987 to 1991 and generated some controversy in that position after heated state budget negotiations.
7.
In 1990, Barrett entered the Republican primary for the 3rd District after eight-term incumbent Virginia D Smith announced her retirement.
8.
Bill Barrett then faced fellow state senator Sandra Scofield in the general election.
9.
Bill Barrett never faced another contest nearly that close, and was reelected four more times by well over 70 percent of the vote; the Democrats did not field a challenger in 1998.
10.
In Congress, Bill Barrett was a low-key member who generally supported the priorities of Republican leaders.
11.
Bill Barrett served on the House Agriculture Committee, helping write the Freedom to Farm Act of 1996 and eventually rising to become vice chairman, as well as the Education and the Workforce Committee.
12.
Bill Barrett retired from Congress in 2000 and resided in Lexington.
13.
Bill Barrett died on September 20,2016, at age 87 at an assisted living facility in Lexington.