Born in America, but with English citizenship, Barr lived in both London and New York City at different times of his life.
Lahir di Amerika, tetapi berkewarganegaraan Inggris, Barr pernah tinggal di London dan New York City pada waktu yang berbeda dalam hidupnya.
Though remembered primarily for his contributions to abstract mathematics, Barr put much of his efforts over the years into the design of machines, including calculating machines.
Meskipun dikenang terutama atas kontribusinya pada matematika abstrak, Barr mencurahkan banyak upayanya selama bertahun-tahun untuk merancang mesin, termasuk mesin hitung.
He won a gold medal at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle for an extremely accurate engraving machine.
Ia memenangkan medali emas di Exposition Universelle Paris 1900 untuk mesin ukiran yang sangat akurat.
Barr was born in Pennsylvania, the son of Charles B. Barr and Ann M'Ginnis.
Barr lahir di Pennsylvania, putra dari Charles B. Barr dan Ann M'Ginnis.
He was educated in London, then worked for the Westinghouse Electric Company in Pittsburgh from 1887 to 1890.
Ia menempuh pendidikan di London, kemudian bekerja untuk Westinghouse Electric Company di Pittsburgh dari tahun 1887 hingga 1890.
For two years in the early 1890s, he worked in New York City at the journal Electrical World as an assistant editor, at the same time studying chemistry at the New York City College of Technology, and by 1900, he had worked with both Nikola Tesla and Mihajlo Pupin in New York.
Selama dua tahun di awal tahun 1890-an, Ia bekerja di Kota New York di jurnal Electrical World sebagai asisten editor, sekaligus belajar kimia di New York City College of Technology, dan pada tahun 1900, ia telah bekerja dengan Nikola Tesla dan Mihajlo Pupin di New York.
However, he was known among acquaintances for his low opinion of Thomas Edison.
Namun, ia dikenal di kalangan kenalannya karena pandangannya yang rendah terhadap Thomas Edison.
Returning to London in 1892, he studied physics and electrical engineering at the City and Guilds of London Technical College for three years.
Kembali ke London pada tahun 1892, ia belajar fisika dan teknik elektro di City and Guilds of London Technical College selama tiga tahun.
From 1896 to 1900, he worked for Linotype in England, and from 1900 to 1904, he worked as a technical advisor to Trevor Williams in London.
Dari tahun 1896 hingga 1900, ia bekerja untuk Linotype di Inggris, dan dari tahun 1900 hingga 1904, ia bekerja sebagai penasihat teknis untuk Trevor Williams di London.
Beginning in 1902, he was elected to the Small Screw Gauge Committee of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.
Mulai tahun 1902, ia terpilih menjadi anggota Komite Ulir Kecil Asosiasi Inggris untuk Kemajuan Ilmu Pengetahuan.
In January 1916, Barr was given charge of a school for machinists in London, intended to supply workers to a nearby factory for machine guns for the war effort; the school closed that June, as the factory was unable to take on the new workers at the expected rate.
Pada bulan Januari 1916, Barr diberi tanggung jawab atas sebuah sekolah untuk ahli mesin di London, yang dimaksudkan untuk memasok pekerja ke pabrik terdekat untuk senapan mesin guna keperluan perang; Sekolah tersebut tutup pada bulan Juni itu, karena pabrik tidak mampu menerima pekerja baru dengan jumlah yang diharapkan.
In the early 1920s, Barr was a frequent visitor to Alfred North Whitehead in Chelsea, London, but by 1924, he had moved back to New York.
Pada awal 1920-an, Barr sering mengunjungi Alfred North Whitehead di Chelsea, London, tetapi pada tahun 1924, ia telah pindah kembali ke New York.
Hamlin Garland writes that, "after thirty years in London", Barr returned to America "in order that his young sons might become citizens".
Hamlin Garland menulis bahwa, "setelah tiga puluh tahun di London", Barr kembali ke Amerika "agar putra-putranya yang masih kecil dapat menjadi warga negara".
Garland quotes Barr as saying that, for him, "to abandon America would be an act of treason".
Garland mengutip pernyataan Barr bahwa, baginya, "meninggalkan Amerika merupakan tindakan pengkhianatan".
In 1924, Harvard University invited Whitehead to join its faculty, with the financial backing of Henry Osborn Taylor.
Pada tahun 1924, Universitas Harvard mengundang Whitehead untuk bergabung dengan fakultasnya, dengan dukungan finansial dari Henry Osborn Taylor.
Barr, a friend of both Whitehead and Taylor, served as an intermediary in the preparations for this move.
Barr, teman Whitehead dan Taylor, bertindak sebagai perantara dalam persiapan perpindahan ini.
Whitehead, in subsequent letters to his son North in 1924 and 1925, writes of Barr's struggles to sell the design for one of his calculating machines to an unnamed large American company.
Whitehead, dalam surat-surat berikutnya kepada putranya North pada tahun 1924 dan 1925, menulis tentang perjuangan Barr untuk menjual desain salah satu mesin hitungnya kepada sebuah perusahaan besar
In the 1925 letter, Whitehead writes that Barr's son Stephen was staying with him while Barr and his wife Mabel visited Elyria, Ohio, to oversee a test build of the device.
Dalam surat tahun 1925 tersebut, Whitehead menulis bahwa putra Barr, Stephen, tinggal bersamanya sementara Barr dan istrinya, Mabel, mengunjungi Elyria, Ohio, untuk mengawasi uji coba perangkat tersebut.
However, by 1927, Barr and Whitehead had fallen out, Whitehead writing to North (amid much complaint about Barr's character) that he was "very doubtful whether he will keep his post at the business school here"; Barr was a "research assistant in finance" at Harvard Business School around this time.
Whitehead menulis surat kepada North (di tengah banyaknya keluhan tentang karakter Barr) bahwa ia "sangat ragu apakah ia akan mempertahankan jabatannya di sekolah bisnis di sini"; Barr adalah "asisten peneliti keuangan" di Harvard Business School sekitar waktu tersebut.
Barr joined the Century Association in 1925, and in his later life it "became practically his home".
Barr bergabung dengan Century Association pada tahun 1925, dan di kemudian hari, asosiasi tersebut "praktis menjadi rumahnya".
He died in The Bronx in 1950.
Ia meninggal dunia di The Bronx pada tahun 1950.
Between 1900 and 1902, with Linotype managers Arthur Pollen and William Henry Lock, Barr also designed pantographs operating on a very different scale, calculating aim for naval artillery based on the positions, headings, and speeds of the firing ship and its target.
Antara tahun 1900 dan 1902, bersama manajer Linotype Arthur Pollen dan William Henry Lock, Barr juga merancang pantograf yang beroperasi pada skala yang sangat berbeda, menghitung bidikan untuk artileri angkatan laut berdasarkan posisi, arah, dan kecepatan kapal penembak dan targetnya.