Clarence Alfred Barnes was an American politician who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts

Massachusetts Attorney General

The Massachusetts Attorney General is an elected executive officer of the Massachusetts Government. The office of Attorney-General was abolished in 1843 and re-established in 1849. The current Attorney General is Martha Coakley....

 from 1945–1949.

Barnes political career began in Mansfield, Massachusetts

Mansfield, Massachusetts

Mansfield is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population is 23,184. Mansfield is in the south-southwest suburbs of Boston and is also close to Providence, Rhode Island....

 where he served as town counsel and moderator of the Town meeting

Town meeting

A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....

. From 1912-1913, he served as a State Representative and he was as a delegate to the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1917-18.

Barnes was the Republican nominee for Attorney General in 1938 but lost to incumbent Paul A. Dever

Paul A. Dever

Paul Andrew Dever was a Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served as the 58th Governor of Massachusetts.-Biography:...

. He ran again in 1940, but lost the Republican nomination to Robert T. Bushnell

Robert T. Bushnell

Robert Tyng Bushnell was an American politician who served as Massachusetts Attorney General from 1941-1945....

. Barnes was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council

Massachusetts Governor's Council

The Massachusetts Governor's Council is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matters such as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutations to the Governor of Massachusetts...

 from 1943-1944. In 1944, he defeated former Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts

The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts is the first in the line to discharge the powers and duties of the office of governor following the incapacitation of the Governor of Massachusetts...

 Francis E. Kelly

Francis E. Kelly

Francis E. Kelly was an American politician who served as a member of the Boston City Council from 1930–1933, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1937 to 1939 and Massachusetts Attorney General from 1949-1953.-Footnotes:...

 to become Attorney General. Barnes defeated Kelly again in 1946, but lost to him in 1948. He was a candidate for Governor in 1950

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1950

The 1950 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 1950. Democratic incumbent Paul A. Dever defeated Republican Arthur W. Coolidge, Socialist Labor candidate Horace Hillis, and Prohibition candidate Mark R. Shaw....

, but lost the nomination to Arthur W. Coolidge

Arthur W. Coolidge

Arthur William Coolidge was a Massachusetts politician who served multiple positions within the state government....

. Barnes was also a delegate to the Republican National Convention

Republican National Convention

The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...

 in 1940

1940 Republican National Convention

The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of Indiana for President and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for Vice-President....

, 1944

1944 Republican National Convention

The 1944 Republican National Convention was held in Chicago, Illinois, from June 26 to 28, 1944. It nominated Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York for President and Governor John Bricker of Ohio for Vice-President....

, 1948

1948 Republican National Convention

The 1948 Republican National Convention was held at the Municipal Auditorium, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 21 to 25, 1948.New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey had paved the way to win the Republican presidential nomination in the primary elections, where he had beaten Minnesota Governor...

, and 1952

1952 Republican National Convention

The 1952 Republican National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois from July 7 to July 11, 1952 and nominated the popular general and war hero Dwight D...

.

Barnes died on May 26, 1970 at Martha's Vineyard Hospital in Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts.