Barry Goldwater, Jr.

The Goldwater family is legendary in Arizona. Barry’s great-grandfather, Mike Goldwater, emigrated from Poland to the United States in the 1840s, landing in San Francisco. In 1850 he began a mercantile business traveling by wagon throughout mining camps in California, Nevada, and Arizona. He settled that year in Prescott, Arizona, where he opened his first dry goods store, which through the efforts of his sons Baron and Morris and grandsons, Bob and Barry, would expand into a tremendously successful clothing business. Like his father before him, Barry, Jr. worked in the family business, planning to accede to management. However, about the time he graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management, the stores were sold, leaving Barry with a decision to make about his future.

Barry moved to Los Angeles and became a stockbroker, and eventually a partner, in the Los Angeles securities firm of Noble Cook, Inc. (now Wedbush Securities), where he developed an institutional customer base and traded large blocks of securities on all stock exchanges. It was here he developed his selling skills by “cold calling” and eventually landing some of the country’s largest financial banks and insurance companies as clients. He also became knowledgeable in financial planning, security law, and underwriting.

The year 1964 found Barry, Jr. crisscrossing the country campaigning for his father, Senator Barry Goldwater, to become President of the United States. The outcome of that effort is well known, but its impact on Barry is not. It set the pattern of public service that he would soon undertake.

Already involved in local civic activities such as the Boys Club, Big Brothers, the Boy Scouts of America, and the president of a local Lions Club, Barry at the age of 30 ran for Congress and won. He not only won that election but seven more, serving 14 years in Washington, D.C., representing half a million constituents of northern Los Angeles County. He and his father were unique, representing one of the few instances in U.S. history when both father and son were serving in Congress at the same time.

Barry’s 14 years in Washington (1969-1984) left an imprint on him and on the nation. He served on a number of committees, including Committee on Science and Technology, Committee on Public Works and Transportation, and the Joint Committee on Energy. His areas of expertise included energy, the space program, aviation and defense, and government procurement. He was on the committee that reviewed the disaster involving the space shuttle “Challenger.” Barry authored and saw the Privacy Act of 1974 signed into law. He served on the privacy Commission that looked into privacy issues affecting the private and corporate sectors. This issue remains a matter of his concern as we move into a global electronic network and information systems. He was very instrumental in all facets of energy policy and research and development including authoring the Solar Photovoltaic Act. He has also been involved with organizations as diverse as the National Aeronautic Association, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. He is a Life Member of the American Numismatic Association. He is also looked upon as an expert concerning transportation matters.