William Barr

Birth Name: William Pelham Barr

Place of Birth: New York City, New York, U.S.

Date of Birth: May 23, 1950

Ethnicity:
*father – Ashkenazi Jewish
*mother – Irish

William Barr, also known as William P. Barr, is an American attorney. A Republican, he has served as U.S. Attorney General, from August 16, 1991 to January 20, 1993, and, again, from February 14, 2019 to December 23, 2020. He has also been U.S. Deputy Attorney General, from May 26, 1990 to November 26, 1991.

William is the son of Mary Margaret (Ahern) and Donald Barr, an educator and writer. His parents were Columbia University Faculty members, and his father was president of the Dalton School. William is married to Christine.

His father was from a Jewish family, and converted to Catholicism. His mother was Catholic. William is Catholic.

William’s paternal grandfather was Pelham Barr, an economist (Simon Pelham Barr, the son of Philip Barr and Rebecca Palem/Pecham/Pelham). William’s grandfather Pelham was born in England, to Jewish parents, from Berdychiv, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. Philip was the son of David Barr and Sarah Wasserman. Rebecca was the daughter of Samuel Palem and Rachael Hoffman.

William’s paternal grandmother was Estelle/Stella (DeYoung/De Young) Barr, a psychologist (the daughter of Solomon/Samuel A. DeYoung/De Young and Esther Sonepouse/Sonpause). William’s grandmother Estelle was born in New York. William’s great-grandfather Solomon was born in Connecticut, to Dutch Jewish parents, from Amsterdam, Aaron De Young and Esther Arbeit. William’s great-grandmother Esther Sonepouse was a Dutch Jew, from Amsterdam, and was the daughter of Philip Sonepouse and Rachel Premselaar. Through his Dutch Jewish roots, William also has more distant German Jewish and Danish Jewish ancestry.

William’s maternal grandfather was William Joseph Ahern (the son of Thomas Ahern and Ann Leonard). William’s grandfather William was born in Killeagh, Cork, County Cork, Ireland.

William’s maternal grandmother was Catherine Flynn (the daughter of Michael Flynn and Nora McMahon). Catherine was born in Clare, County Clare, Ireland.

Sources: Genealogy of William Barr – https://www.geni.com

William’s father on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Marriage record of William’s paternal grandparents, Simon Pelham Barr and Estelle/Stella DeYoung/De Young – https://www.familysearch.org

William’s paternal grandfather, Simon Barr, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

Death record of William’s paternal grandfather, Pelham Barr – https://www.familysearch.org

William’s paternal grandmother, Estelle/Stella DeYoung/De Young, on the 1900 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org
Estelle/Stella DeYoung/De Young on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org

William’s paternal great-grandparents, Solomon/Samuel A. DeYoung/De Young and Esther Sonepouse/Sonpause, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org