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Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr.
2nd Mayor of Washington, D.C. 4th Mayor of Washington, D.C.
In office January 2, 1979 – January 2, 1991 January 2, 1995 – January 2, 1999
Preceded by	Walter Washington (1979) Sharon Pratt Kelly (1995)
Succeeded by	Sharon Pratt Kelly (1991) Anthony A. Williams (1999)
Born	March 6, 1936 (1936-03-06) (age 71) Itta Bena, Mississippi
Political party	Democratic
Children	Christopher Barry Tamara Masters Wilds
Alma mater	Fisk University
Profession	Investment banking consultant; Ward 8 Representative, Council of the District of Columbia
Religion	Baptist
Website	www.dccouncil.washington.dc.us/barry/

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. (born March 6, 1936) is an American politician who served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was the target of a high-profile 1990 arrest on drug charges, which precluded him from seeking reelection that year. After he was convicted of the charges, Barry served 6 months in prison, but was elected to the D.C. council in 1992 and ultimately to the mayoralty in 1994, serving a second term from 1995 to 1999. Today, Barry serves on the Council of the District of Columbia, representing Ward Eight, which comprises Anacostia and Congress Heights.

Barry was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, but grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Barry graduated from LeMoyne College (now LeMoyne-Owen College) in 1958. Barry also graduated with a Masters of organic chemistry from Fisk University in 1960. Barry is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. He is also an Eagle Scout.

After graduating from Fisk, Barry joined the American civil rights movement, focusing on the elimination of the racial segregation of bus passengers. He was elected the first chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). He abandoned his doctoral chemistry studies at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee for his new duties. During his time leading SNCC, Barry heavily lobbied against racial segregation and discrimination.

Marion Barry married Effi Barry, his third wife, just before his first mayoral victory in 1978. The couple had one son, Christopher Barry. The Barrys divorced in 1993, but she returned to Washington and supported him in his successful bid for a city council seat in 2004. Effi died on September 6, 2007 after an 18-month battle with leukemia.

In 1965, Barry moved to Washington, D.C. to open a local chapter of SNCC where he was heavily involved in coordinating peaceful street demonstrations. He served on the first city school board to implement school board elections, in 1971, and served as Board president during his tenure. He was elected a member of Washington's first elected city council in 1974, and while serving as a council member, he became chair of the Committee on Finance and Revenue.

While serving on the D.C. city council, Barry was shot on March 9, 1977, by radical Hanafi Muslim terrorists when they overran District Building. Barry was shot near his heart during the two-day 1977 Hanafi Muslim Siege in which hostages were held by the terrorists and which was finally defused by the FBI and Muslim ambassadors.

In 1978, Barry was elected mayor of Washington, D.C. He was only the second person elected to this position. Barry was elected to three consecutive terms as mayor and held the position for over a decade until his arrest and imprisonment on drug charges in 1990.

After being released from prison, Barry was successful in his 1992 bid for a city council seat, running under the slogan "He May Not Be Perfect, But He's Perfect for D.C." In 1994, Barry was elected to his fourth and final term as mayor, serving until January 1999. In 1995, soon after his election, Barry was successfully treated for prostate cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.^{[citation needed]}

From 1995 to 2001, the federally imposed Control Board deprived Barry and his successor as mayor of power to allocate and manage funds for city projects. The mayor was also involved in further scandals, eventually leading to his decision not to run for a fifth term in office. He was succeeded by Anthony A. Williams, the former Chief Financial Officer of the Control Board. After leaving office, Barry performed consulting work for an investment banking firm.

On June 12, 2004 Barry announced that he was running in the Democratic primary for the Ward 8 council seat, a position he held before becoming mayor. Barry defeated the incumbent council member, Sandy Allen, on September 14, 2004, by a margin of at least 60–25%, setting him up to win the Ward 8 council seat in the November general election by a margin of 96–4%.

In 2005 Barry supported a Gasification Machine, whose inventor, Simon Romanna, said it could cheaply turn waste into efficient gas for electricity and clean water.^[1][2]

During the 2006 mayoral election, Barry endorsed Adrian Fenty despite Linda Cropp hiring many members of Barry's former political machine. Recently, however, Barry has publicly clashed with Fenty over DC United's proposed soccer stadium in Barry's Ward 8. Barry is the stadium's most outspoken supporter on the council, whereas Fenty has attempted to distance himself from his initial support for the project.^[3]

In July 2007, Marion Barry was chosen as one of fifty wax statues to debut in the Washington D.C. franchise of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Barry was chosen by a majority of Washington residents and tourists from Tussauds' "Top 10 Wish List," in a contest that pitted him against Cal Ripken, Al Gore, Denzel Washington, Carl Bernstein, Halle Berry, Martin Sheen, Marilyn Monroe, Nancy Reagan and Oprah Winfrey.^[4]

Barry captured on a surveillance camera smoking crack cocaine during a sting operation by the FBI and D.C. Police.

On January 18, 1990, Barry was arrested with a former girlfriend, Hazel "Rasheeda" Moore, in a sting operation at the Vista Hotel by the FBI and D.C. Police for crack cocaine use and possession. The incident – played over and over on television – showing an enraged Barry excoriating FBI informant Rasheeda Moore, "Goddamn setup . . . I'll be goddamn. Bitch set me up."^[5]

Barry was charged with three felony counts of perjury, 10 counts of misdemeanor drug possession, and one misdemeanor count of conspiracy to possess cocaine; however, in October 1990, he was convicted on only one charge: a single previous misdemeanor count of possessing cocaine which occurred during November of 1989. He was acquitted on one possession charge and a mistrial was declared on the 12 remaining charges.^{[citation needed]}

As a result of his arrest and the ensuing trial, Barry was forced to step down from his position as mayor. In the midst of his campaign for a city council seat, Barry was sentenced to a six-month federal prison term in October 1990.^{[citation needed]}

On October 28, 2005, Barry pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charges stemming from an IRS investigation. At the mandatory drug testing at that hearing, he tested positive for cocaine and marijuana. On March 9, 2006, he was sentenced to three years probation for misdemeanor charges of failing to pay federal and local taxes, and continues to receive drug counseling.^[6][7]

On September 10, 2006, Barry was stopped by Secret Service agents and was charged with driving under the influence, operating a vehicle while impaired, driving an unregistered vehicle and misuse of temporary tags. He was acquitted on June 13, 2007 of the drunk driving charges.^[8]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Marion Barry

• Marion Barry: Making of a Mayor
• Official website for Councilman Barry
• Effi Barry, Washington, D.C.'s Former First Lady, Dies After a Lengthy Battle with Leukemia