Born in Trenton, New Jersey, Barlow received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1943 and a Bachelor of Laws from Rutgers Law School in 1948.

He was an assistant counsel for the New Jersey State Law Revision Commission from 1948 to 1953.

[1] On July 22, 1969, Barlow was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey vacated by Judge Arthur Stephen Lane.

Barlow was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 17, 1969, and received his commission the following day.

He served as Chief Judge from 1978 until his death of an apparent heart attack on March 4, 1979, at the Mercer Medical Center in Trenton.