He served in the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1936 to 1941 as a member of the Conservative Party.
Barry worked for the Canadian Pacific Railway as head clerk of the superintendent's office in Winnipeg.
At the time, Winnipeg elected ten members via a single transferable ballot.
The Conservatives lost this election to the Liberal-Progressives, and Barry served on the opposition benches for the next four years.
Running for re-election in the 1941 election, Barry finished ninth on the first count but fared poorly on transfers.