He received his Bachelor of Arts in history and literature magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1993.

[9][10][11] In The Audacity to Win, author and political strategist David Plouffe describes Matthew Barzun's grassroots campaign idea as "citizen fundraisers" that drove Obama's connection with supporters.

[19] Barzun was selected by the U.S. Department of State as the winner of the 2016 Sue M. Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service for "his passion and commitment during his tenure in London by promoting American values and ideals, and his dedication to developing the next generation of career Foreign Service Officers.

The then Deputy Chief of Mission, Lewis Lukens, then succeeded Barzun as Chargé d'affaires pending the appointment of a new ambassador.

The leadership book describes how to create a culture of collaboration by adopting the habits and behaviors of interdependence.

[24] Leaders profiled include Mary Parker Follett, John Gilbert Winant, Dee Hock, and Jane Jacobs.

[29] Matthew Barzun is a descendant of Lucretia Mott,[30] a proponent of women's rights, John Winthrop, founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the city of Boston, and A. Lawrence Lowell, former president of Harvard University.

[31] His grandfather was the renowned French-born American cultural historian and former Columbia University professor, Jacques Barzun.