Barry Keene

Who is Barry Keene?

Barry Dion Keene is an American politician from California.

Barry Keene received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Stanford University and his law degree from Stanford Law School. He became a member of the California Bar in 1966, and accepted a legal position as a Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney in 1968. In 1968 he won his first election to the Rincon Valley School Board. Two years later he won the Democratic nomination for the 2nd Assembly District which included the counties of Del Norte, Humboldt and Mendocino Counties, Lake County and a portion of Sonoma County. In the 1970 General Election he tried to unseat longtime Republican Assemblyman Frank P. Belotti. However, Keene lost his first race in a narrow election. Keene successfully ran again for the Assembly in 1972 following the death of Assemblyman Belotti.

Keene served six years in the State Assembly holding leadership positions as the chair of the Assembly Elections and Reapportionment Committee and later, as the chairman of the Assembly Health Committee. In 1979 Keene was urged to consider running for an open vacancy in the State Senate.