[1] Barnes taught school after graduating, and was one of the organizers of New York State's first formal professional development meetings for educators, annual institutes that took place in Baldwinsville in 1843 and 1844.

[1] Barnes was also appointed special counsel to represent the City of New York when members of the Astor family and several other wealthy residents attempted to overturn their property tax assessments.

[1] His investigation revealed them to be fraudulent, they were forced out of business, and the state legislature enacted several new laws designed to improve oversight of the industry.

[1] One of the reforms passed by the legislature included the creation of a state Department of Insurance headed by a superintendent appointed to a five-year term.

[1] The International Statistical Congress was an ongoing effort by representatives from Russia, the United States, and several European countries to share methods for collecting, analyzing, and presenting data.

[3] Topics included agriculture, business, and education, and the participants aimed to enable more effective government action based on improved situational awareness.

[1] The peace congresses met periodically from the mid-1800s until the 1930s, and sought to prevent wars by identifying other ways to resolve international disputes.

[1] In his later years, Barnes was a resident of Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he owned a house that had originally been built for Charles O'Conor.

[5] In addition, he prepared a history on the first fifty years of the political organization he helped found, 1904's Semi-centennial of the Republican Party.