[1] Born in Meudon on 16 September 1926, Bary was raised in a family of an industrialist father and a stay-at-home mother.
In his youth, he joined the Scouts de France [fr], of which he became leader for the entire west of Île-de-France.
Throughout his career, Bary was heavily active within French trade unionism, particularly through the Conseil national du patronat français (CNPF), where he chaired several bodies, such as the Union d'économie sociale pour le logement.
As a member of the Independent Republicans, Bary was elected to the Municipal Council of Neuilly-sur-Seine in 1965 on the list of Achille Peretti, who became Deputy Mayor in 1969.
After Nicolas Sarkozy was appointed Minister of the Interior, Bary was elected Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine on 19 June 2002 and did not stand for re-election in 2008.