Barrett Was No Harvard Radical

When gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Michael J. Barrett '70 attended Harvard, a wave of civil rights and anti-war protests shook the campus.

While students seized University buildings and protested an unjust war, Barrett--moderate then and now--chose to mediate rather than act.

A self-described "conservative Irish-Catholic boy," Barrett says family traditions strongly influenced him at the College--and separated him from the campus radicals that characterized Harvard's political scene.

"He was very serious and straight arrow, which was off the bell curve in the 1960s," says David W. Siktberg '70, a suitemate of Barrett. "He wore suits frequently, as I recall."

John L. Powers '70, another suitemate, says Barrett came off quite differently from the many "freaks" who dominated campus politics.

"He was straight when straight did not mean not gay," Powers said.

But Barrett did not completely isolate himself from the popular campusculture. He admits, in fact, to having smokedmarijuana during his college years.

"I inhaled once or twice," Barrett says. "Isort of lost interest in the stuff at theconclusion of my college years."

Barrett says he came to Harvard not knowingwhat to expect but became immediately interestedin learning about national politics.

"I had never been in Harvard Square, so it wasthe biggest thrill of my life [to go] where [JohnF. Kennedy '40] had gone to school," he says. "Iwas interested in social issues right from thestart."

While Barrett attended Harvard, Sen. Robert F.Kennedy '48 (D-N.Y.) and Rev. Martin Luther KingJr. were assassinated; the Vietnam War escalated;and Richard M. Nixon succeeded Lyndon B. Johnsonas President.

"Nobody thought Nixon was human," says Powers,who is a Crimson editor. "Once you were not ofschool you were drafted--the Draft Board likedmaking examples of those [college] kids."

But despite his open opposition to the war,Barrett chose not to follow the popular radicalopinion of the Students for a Democratic Society(SDS) and instead joined the Young Democrats.

Barrett says he did not agree with how the SDSmanifested their political agenda.

In April 1969, SDS members took over UniversityHall to protest the University's support of ROTCduring the Vietnam War.

"I didn't think that forced physical takeoverserved the interests of free speech," Barrettsays.

Instead, Barrett--who is still aconsensus-builder--served on the Student-FacultyAdvisory Committee.

"I joined [an organization] that functioned tokeep the campus from blowing apart," Barrett says."The campus was not a carefree place."

Clarence Y. Lo '70, a friend and formerroommate, says many students criticized Barrett'sinvolvement on the committee.

"He got a lot of flak for it," Lo says. "Theradicals did not respect him at all."

While not directly involved in campus politics,Barrett says he pursued his political interests inthe classroom and in campaign offices.

"I worked to register kids to vote and get[President Lyndon B. Johnson] defeated by anotherDemocrat," Barrett says.

"[Barrett] was very interested in electoralpolitics when a lot of people felt electoralpolitics were useless," Powers says.

Barrett says he owes his political career toHarvard, but not because of his involvement incampus politics. Instead, his career has been mostaided by the personal connections he made here, hesays.

In the Class of 1970's tenth reunion report,Barrett credits his Harvard classmates forsupporting his campaign for the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, which was ultimatelyunsuccessful.

"For four months the campaign hummed along,thanks in part to the financial generosity of themembers of the Class of 1970," Barrett writes.

Barrett's friends say they did not expect thisyear's frontrunning Democratic candidate to makeit in politics because he was often too candidabout his political views.

"He is a person of such principle," Lo says. "Inever expected he'd get anywhere in politics--withmachines."

And Barrett did not actively talk aboutentering politics as a student, says Powers, whonow writes for The Boston Globe.

But Stephen K. Roddenberry '70, another ofBarrett's roommates, says that as a student, thestate senator was a typical politician.

"I always thought he would go into politics,"Roddenberry says. "He's an Irish political type."

Barrett and U.S. Representative Frederick L.Grandy '70 (R-Iowa) are the only elected officialsfrom the class of 1970, Powers recalls.

"Grandy first was Gopher from the Love Boat,"Powers says. "An awful lot of people stoppedbelieving in 1968."

Involvement With the Press

Barrett says he spent much of his time as anundergraduate at The Harvard Crimson, where herose to the executive position of features editor.

"At the time, The Crimson was the most excitingand demanding way to connect to political issuesout in the country." Barrett says. "Some of myhappiest moments were spent putting that paper tobed."

Barrett says his most exciting moments at TheCrimson came during the election year of 1968.

"I remember the night Eugene McCarthy walkedinto the Crimson office to tell us privately hewas running for President to end the war," Barrettsays.

Although Barrett's favorite was a profile heauthored on Presidential candidate George Wallacein 1968, he says he also enjoyed writing a surveyof the Transcendental Meditation Center on GardenStreet. For this story he interviewed theMaharishi, the internationally-renowned eccentricfaith healer.

"I was given my mantra, but I never found itspiritually inspiring to utter the mantra aloud,"Barrett says.

Friends say that Barrett, like other studentswho were not involved in campus activism, used TheCrimson as a forum to discuss politics.

"There were people who made it a large part oftheir lives--writing about politics," Powers says."I don't know if [Barrett] had any interestsoutside The Crimson and electoral politics."

James M. Fallows '70, who was president of TheCrimson in 1969, says Barrett worked hard as areporter and editor.

"I don't have any particularly vivid scene totalk about," Fallows says. "My recollections areall positive, but they're not detailed."

Studying Politics

Although he fancied being a historyconcentrator, Barrett eventually decided toconcentrate in government.

His favorite course was a class taught by LoebUniversity Professor Emeritus Oscar Handlin onBoston immigration--a topic he later incorporatedinto a senior thesis.

"He was an incredibly smart and stimulatingfellow," Barrett says of Handlin.

Barrett says he also enjoyed a seminar onMcCarthyism and the political culture of the 1950staught by Lecturer on Social Studies Martin H.Peretz.

"Marty became a dear friend and remains onetoday," Barrett says.

"Mike was very smart, very serious, very funnyand always aspired to a career in the publiclife," Peretz says. "He thought politics was a wayof changing society in decent ways."

Peretz says Barrett's political moderation wasbeneficial to the learning atmosphere of thecourse.

"He was certainly a liberal, but he was neverreflexive," Peretz says. "A lot of undergrads shotfrom the hip, declared this position evil, thatposition good."

Barrett wrote his honors thesis on communitypolitics in South Boston.

But neither Barrett's thesis advisor nor histhesis reader recalls working with the statesenator.

Former government professor Edward C. Banfieldsays. "It sounds very likely [that I advisedhim.]"

"I don't remember him at all," Banfield says."It sounds very likely [that I advised him.]"

The man who read Barrett's thesis, formerHarvard government professor James Q. Wilson, nowlives in California. He says he remembersBarrett's name and his thesis topic, but he doesnot recall any details about it.

"I remember the name, and I remember he wrote athesis on local politics," Wilson says. "My memoryis a little rusty."

Despite his professors' faulty memory, Barrettsays he remembers that he received a rating ofsumma minus/magna plus on his thesis.

"We were both doing [our theses] at the sametime," Lo says. "I told him he should try to getit published."

However, Barrett did not receive stellar gradesat Harvard, his roommates say.

"Most of us were at the B or B- level," Powerssays of his whole rooming group.

Powers recalls that the Class of 1970 did noteven have a chance to finish their senior year.

"Because of Kent State [riots], the Universitywas shut down in mid-May for the academic year,"Powers says.

A Neat Roommate

Barrett spent his first year on campus livingin Wigglesworth Hall but was affiliated withDudley House so that he would not have to buy theCollege meal plan.

Barrett's Eliot House roommates say theDemocratic candidate was a neat and considerateliving partner. As the Irish Catholic graduate ofthe public Reading High School, Barrett was notthe typical Eliot student.

"[Eliot] was a very preppy house; John [H.]Finley ['25] was the master," Powers says. "He wasvery partial to kids who had gone to prep schoolor had classical taste."

Powers says he did not get to know his roommateas well as he would have liked because Barrett wasoften out of the room.

"He was clean and was always up before I was-hewould have made a 9 a.m. class," Powers says. "IfMichael had slept in, I would have known him alittle better."

Siktberg recalls that Barrett lived in a veryspartan room that was not overly decorated.

"He was a good roommate, better than most,"says Roddeberry, who is now an attorney in Miami.

A Family Man

Barrett, who was the second oldest of tenchildren, says he remained quite attached to hisfamily during his college years.

"He has a very large family, and he was alwaysgoing back," Lo says. "Mike was the big brother."

Despite his detachment from the radical campuspolitics rampant at Harvard, Barrett says thebackdrop of political and social tumult concernedhis family.

"My mother fluctuated from emotional pride tofear for the very survival of my soul," Barrettsays.

Barrett often talked to his family and visitedhis home in Reading, Massachusetts. As a result,his roommates say, he did not have a very activesocial life.

"He kept up the home standard when that was notthe rage," Lo says. "He just did what was right."

Lo says Barrett's steady romantic relationshipwas also quite abnormal in those rambunctiousyears.

"He had one girlfriend," Lo says. "That was notthe rage either."

Siktberg, who calls Barrett "very serious,"says he is surprised that Barrett did not marryhis college girlfriend, who was also his highschool sweetheart.

"He was truly devoted to his girlfriend,"Siktberg says. "He struck me as the type who had alife-long bond."

All of Barrett's friendsand roommates agreethat this year's Democratic candidate did notfollow the Harvard student stereotype of the era.

"Mike was open, ambitious and had lots ofenergy." Powers says. "But he wasn't a classiccampus operator type guy."Harvard ArchivesMICHAEL J. BARRETT '70 as he appeared in hissenior yearbook.

"I inhaled once or twice," Barrett says. "Isort of lost interest in the stuff at theconclusion of my college years."

Barrett says he came to Harvard not knowingwhat to expect but became immediately interestedin learning about national politics.

"I had never been in Harvard Square, so it wasthe biggest thrill of my life [to go] where [JohnF. Kennedy '40] had gone to school," he says. "Iwas interested in social issues right from thestart."

While Barrett attended Harvard, Sen. Robert F.Kennedy '48 (D-N.Y.) and Rev. Martin Luther KingJr. were assassinated; the Vietnam War escalated;and Richard M. Nixon succeeded Lyndon B. Johnsonas President.

"Nobody thought Nixon was human," says Powers,who is a Crimson editor. "Once you were not ofschool you were drafted--the Draft Board likedmaking examples of those [college] kids."

But despite his open opposition to the war,Barrett chose not to follow the popular radicalopinion of the Students for a Democratic Society(SDS) and instead joined the Young Democrats.

Barrett says he did not agree with how the SDSmanifested their political agenda.

In April 1969, SDS members took over UniversityHall to protest the University's support of ROTCduring the Vietnam War.

"I didn't think that forced physical takeoverserved the interests of free speech," Barrettsays.

Instead, Barrett--who is still aconsensus-builder--served on the Student-FacultyAdvisory Committee.

"I joined [an organization] that functioned tokeep the campus from blowing apart," Barrett says."The campus was not a carefree place."

Clarence Y. Lo '70, a friend and formerroommate, says many students criticized Barrett'sinvolvement on the committee.

"He got a lot of flak for it," Lo says. "Theradicals did not respect him at all."

While not directly involved in campus politics,Barrett says he pursued his political interests inthe classroom and in campaign offices.

"I worked to register kids to vote and get[President Lyndon B. Johnson] defeated by anotherDemocrat," Barrett says.

"[Barrett] was very interested in electoralpolitics when a lot of people felt electoralpolitics were useless," Powers says.

Barrett says he owes his political career toHarvard, but not because of his involvement incampus politics. Instead, his career has been mostaided by the personal connections he made here, hesays.

In the Class of 1970's tenth reunion report,Barrett credits his Harvard classmates forsupporting his campaign for the U.S. House ofRepresentatives, which was ultimatelyunsuccessful.

"For four months the campaign hummed along,thanks in part to the financial generosity of themembers of the Class of 1970," Barrett writes.

Barrett's friends say they did not expect thisyear's frontrunning Democratic candidate to makeit in politics because he was often too candidabout his political views.

"He is a person of such principle," Lo says. "Inever expected he'd get anywhere in politics--withmachines."

And Barrett did not actively talk aboutentering politics as a student, says Powers, whonow writes for The Boston Globe.

But Stephen K. Roddenberry '70, another ofBarrett's roommates, says that as a student, thestate senator was a typical politician.

"I always thought he would go into politics,"Roddenberry says. "He's an Irish political type."

Barrett and U.S. Representative Frederick L.Grandy '70 (R-Iowa) are the only elected officialsfrom the class of 1970, Powers recalls.

"Grandy first was Gopher from the Love Boat,"Powers says. "An awful lot of people stoppedbelieving in 1968."

Involvement With the Press

Barrett says he spent much of his time as anundergraduate at The Harvard Crimson, where herose to the executive position of features editor.

"At the time, The Crimson was the most excitingand demanding way to connect to political issuesout in the country." Barrett says. "Some of myhappiest moments were spent putting that paper tobed."

Barrett says his most exciting moments at TheCrimson came during the election year of 1968.

"I remember the night Eugene McCarthy walkedinto the Crimson office to tell us privately hewas running for President to end the war," Barrettsays.

Although Barrett's favorite was a profile heauthored on Presidential candidate George Wallacein 1968, he says he also enjoyed writing a surveyof the Transcendental Meditation Center on GardenStreet. For this story he interviewed theMaharishi, the internationally-renowned eccentricfaith healer.

"I was given my mantra, but I never found itspiritually inspiring to utter the mantra aloud,"Barrett says.

Friends say that Barrett, like other studentswho were not involved in campus activism, used TheCrimson as a forum to discuss politics.

"There were people who made it a large part oftheir lives--writing about politics," Powers says."I don't know if [Barrett] had any interestsoutside The Crimson and electoral politics."

James M. Fallows '70, who was president of TheCrimson in 1969, says Barrett worked hard as areporter and editor.

"I don't have any particularly vivid scene totalk about," Fallows says. "My recollections areall positive, but they're not detailed."

Studying Politics

Although he fancied being a historyconcentrator, Barrett eventually decided toconcentrate in government.

His favorite course was a class taught by LoebUniversity Professor Emeritus Oscar Handlin onBoston immigration--a topic he later incorporatedinto a senior thesis.

"He was an incredibly smart and stimulatingfellow," Barrett says of Handlin.

Barrett says he also enjoyed a seminar onMcCarthyism and the political culture of the 1950staught by Lecturer on Social Studies Martin H.Peretz.

"Marty became a dear friend and remains onetoday," Barrett says.

"Mike was very smart, very serious, very funnyand always aspired to a career in the publiclife," Peretz says. "He thought politics was a wayof changing society in decent ways."

Peretz says Barrett's political moderation wasbeneficial to the learning atmosphere of thecourse.

"He was certainly a liberal, but he was neverreflexive," Peretz says. "A lot of undergrads shotfrom the hip, declared this position evil, thatposition good."

Barrett wrote his honors thesis on communitypolitics in South Boston.

But neither Barrett's thesis advisor nor histhesis reader recalls working with the statesenator.

Former government professor Edward C. Banfieldsays. "It sounds very likely [that I advisedhim.]"

"I don't remember him at all," Banfield says."It sounds very likely [that I advised him.]"

The man who read Barrett's thesis, formerHarvard government professor James Q. Wilson, nowlives in California. He says he remembersBarrett's name and his thesis topic, but he doesnot recall any details about it.

"I remember the name, and I remember he wrote athesis on local politics," Wilson says. "My memoryis a little rusty."

Despite his professors' faulty memory, Barrettsays he remembers that he received a rating ofsumma minus/magna plus on his thesis.

"We were both doing [our theses] at the sametime," Lo says. "I told him he should try to getit published."

However, Barrett did not receive stellar gradesat Harvard, his roommates say.

"Most of us were at the B or B- level," Powerssays of his whole rooming group.

Powers recalls that the Class of 1970 did noteven have a chance to finish their senior year.

"Because of Kent State [riots], the Universitywas shut down in mid-May for the academic year,"Powers says.

A Neat Roommate

Barrett spent his first year on campus livingin Wigglesworth Hall but was affiliated withDudley House so that he would not have to buy theCollege meal plan.

Barrett's Eliot House roommates say theDemocratic candidate was a neat and considerateliving partner. As the Irish Catholic graduate ofthe public Reading High School, Barrett was notthe typical Eliot student.

"[Eliot] was a very preppy house; John [H.]Finley ['25] was the master," Powers says. "He wasvery partial to kids who had gone to prep schoolor had classical taste."

Powers says he did not get to know his roommateas well as he would have liked because Barrett wasoften out of the room.

"He was clean and was always up before I was-hewould have made a 9 a.m. class," Powers says. "IfMichael had slept in, I would have known him alittle better."

Siktberg recalls that Barrett lived in a veryspartan room that was not overly decorated.

"He was a good roommate, better than most,"says Roddeberry, who is now an attorney in Miami.

A Family Man

Barrett, who was the second oldest of tenchildren, says he remained quite attached to hisfamily during his college years.

"He has a very large family, and he was alwaysgoing back," Lo says. "Mike was the big brother."

Despite his detachment from the radical campuspolitics rampant at Harvard, Barrett says thebackdrop of political and social tumult concernedhis family.

"My mother fluctuated from emotional pride tofear for the very survival of my soul," Barrettsays.

Barrett often talked to his family and visitedhis home in Reading, Massachusetts. As a result,his roommates say, he did not have a very activesocial life.

"He kept up the home standard when that was notthe rage," Lo says. "He just did what was right."

Lo says Barrett's steady romantic relationshipwas also quite abnormal in those rambunctiousyears.

"He had one girlfriend," Lo says. "That was notthe rage either."

Siktberg, who calls Barrett "very serious,"says he is surprised that Barrett did not marryhis college girlfriend, who was also his highschool sweetheart.

"He was truly devoted to his girlfriend,"Siktberg says. "He struck me as the type who had alife-long bond."

All of Barrett's friendsand roommates agreethat this year's Democratic candidate did notfollow the Harvard student stereotype of the era.

"Mike was open, ambitious and had lots ofenergy." Powers says. "But he wasn't a classiccampus operator type guy."Harvard ArchivesMICHAEL J. BARRETT '70 as he appeared in hissenior yearbook.