Charles F. Barrett (January 1, 1861 – February 11, 1946) was an American journalist, soldier, and politician from the U.S. state of

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

who served as the 4th and 6th Adjutant General of Oklahoma between 1919-1923 and 1925–1939. He led National Guard response to the

Tulsa race massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

Early life and career

Charles F. Barrett was born on January 1, 1861, in

Galion, Ohio Galion ( ) is a city in Crawford County, Ohio, Crawford, Morrow County, Ohio, Morrow, and Richland County, Ohio, Richland counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 10,453 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Galion is the s ...

, to John E. Barrett and Charlotte Reynolds. He lived in

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

, and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

before setting in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

on July 4, 1893. He was the managing editor of the ''Press-Gazette'' and founded the ''Earlsboro Border Signal''.

Military career

Barrett served in the

Oklahoma Territory The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...

militia as a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

enlisting in 1896 before the

Spanish-American War Spanish Americans (, ''hispanoestadounidenses'', or ''hispanonorteamericanos'') are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from Spain. They are the longest-established European American group in the modern United States, with a ...

, but did not see combat due to an injury. He continued to serve in the

Oklahoma National Guard The Oklahoma National Guard, a division of the Oklahoma Military Department, is the component of the United States National Guard in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It comprises both Army (OKARNG) and Air (OKANG) National Guard components. The Governo ...

(or its predecessors) until 1939. In 1914, he became a

judge advocate Judge-advocates are military lawyers serving in different capacities in the military justice systems of different jurisdictions. Australia The Australian Army Legal Corps (AALC) consists of Regular and Reserve commissioned officers that prov ...

and in 1919 he was appointed as the Adjutant General of Oklahoma to reorganize the guard for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He served in that position until 1939, excluding a two-year period in 1923–1925. He is known as the "Father of the Forty-Fifth Infantry Division. In 1921, Barrett was responsible for deploying troops in response to the

Tulsa Race Massacre The Tulsa race massacre was a two-day-long white supremacist terrorist massacre that took place in the Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, between May 31 and June 1, 1921, when mobs of white residents, some of whom had been appointed as ...

. When he arrived in Tulsa, he was required to report to local authorities, but could not find them delaying his response by three hours.

Death and legacy

Barrett was inducted into the

Oklahoma Hall of Fame The Oklahoma Hall of Fame was founded in 1927 by Anna B. Korn to officially celebrate Statehood Day, recognize Oklahomans dedicated to their communities, and provide educational programming for all ages. The first Oklahoma Hall of Fame Induction Cer ...

in 1931. He died in

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...

, on February 11, 1946, and was buried at Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrett, Charles F. 1861 births 1946 deaths Adjutants General of Oklahoma Journalists from Oklahoma People from Galion, Ohio People from Oklahoma Territory People involved in the Tulsa race massacre Democratic Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators 20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives