Nearly a quarter of the U.S. population has a criminal record of some kind, but not Barrett. According to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s database—which I accessed for only a $5 charge to my credit card—he had never been arrested for a felony or gross misdemeanor of any kind. Nor could I locate any juvenile police incident reports with his name on them. ’Course, if there had been, I was pretty sure his political opponents would have exploited them long ago.
The Department of Motor Vehicles database listed two speeding tickets and one accident on Barrett’s driving record: he had rear-ended a Ford Taurus during a sleet storm. No one was injured, no citation was issued, and his insurance promptly paid for the damage. He currently owned three vehicles: a Lexus sedan, an SUV, and a 1965 Ford Mustang for which he had purchased “collectible” plates. It was a modest fleet considering his vast wealth. ’Course, the state was chauffeuring him around these days at public expense.
A visit to the Web site of the secretary of state gave me more information about his businesses and partners than I knew what to do with. Barrett wasn’t on the board of any corporation except his own—Barrett Motels, one of the top five motel chains in the nation. He had been among the initial twelve investors who brought the Minnesota Wild National Hockey League team to St. Paul, and he had briefly pursued partial ownership of the St. Paul Saints minor league baseball team, only nothing came of it.
The Ramsey County Property Tax Web site indicated that Barrett owned a 6,249-square-foot house built in 1967 on Pleasant Lake Road in the city of North Oaks with an estimated market value of $1,069,400. It was the only residence Barrett owned in Minnesota that I could discover and, of course, he divided his time between there and the Governor’s Mansion. His polling place in North Oaks was the East Rec Center, where he had voted in every election in the past decade.
Barrett continued to contribute to numerous and varied charities and nonprofit organizations, including the American Cancer Association, the Children’s Heart Fund, Big Brothers, Minnesota Public Radio, the Loft Literary Center, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Institute of Art. I wondered what he thought of Muehlenhaus’s purchase of the Degas.
Most of the other information I gleaned came in the form of newspaper and magazine articles, starting with the most recent events in his life and working backward. I skipped everything that dealt with politics or the governor’s office, staying strictly with his personal information before he ran for office:
John Allen Barrett rejects Marriott’s latest offer. Barrett Motels remain the top independent in the upper Midwest, according to the Wall Street Journal.
John Allen Barrett’s fiftieth birthday party on November 30 attracts over 350, including many celebrities.
John Allen Barrett hailed as a financial guru for predicting the sudden decline in tech stocks traded on NASDAQ.
John Allen Barrett visibly embarrassed during the dedication of Barrett Hall, the addition to the University of Minnesota’s Business School that he helped finance with a $25 million contribution.
John Allen Barrett congratulated in the business section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press upon the grand opening of his fiftieth motel.
John Allen Barrett and his bride, the former Lindsey Bauer, mugging for the cameras following their nuptials . . .
I lingered here for a few moments, examining an electronic photograph of Barrett and a startlingly lovely woman in a white gown that someone estimated cost over $50,000. Yet Zee wore it as if she was either unaware or unconcerned by that fact. Barrett, a half-dozen years older than Zee, was wearing a tuxedo cut in the English style with matching gloves and hat. Still, the way they smiled and clung to each other, I could believe they would have been just as happy if they had been married in burlap sacks.
And on and on it went.
John Allen Barrett forms partnership to build motels for travelers on a budget.
John Allen Barrett to provide color commentary during TV broadcast of the Minnesota State High School Boys Basketball Tournament.
John Allen Barrett returns to the University of Minnesota after a brief professional basketball career in Europe to gain his master’s degree in business administration.
John Allen Barrett agrees to play for Milan in the European basketball league.
John Allen Barrett in tears after the University of Minnesota Gophers basketball team is eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament.
John Allen Barrett triumphant after leading the “Victoria Seven” to a 52–50 victory over heavily favored Duluth Central to win the Minnesota State High School Boys Basketball Championship before a raucous sellout crowd at St. Paul Auditorium.