Wally Barnett
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wally Barnett | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nebraska State Fire Marshal | |
| In office April 22, 1978 – July 8, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Paul Sarnecki |
| Succeeded by | Mike Durst |
| Member of the Nebraska Legislature from the 26th district | |
| In office January 5, 1971 – April 22, 1978 | |
| Preceded by | John E. Knight |
| Succeeded by | L. K. Emry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 7, 1931 |
| Died | March 18, 2016 (aged 85) |
| Resting place | Lincoln Memorial Park, Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Spouse |
Beverly Teague (m. 1953) |
| Children | 3 (Joni, Scott, Bobbi Rae) |
| Education | University of Nebraska |
| Occupation | Firefighter |
Wallace M. Barnett Jr. (February 7, 1931 – March 18, 2016) was an American politician, women's rights advocate, and fire safety advocate who represented Nebraska's 26th District in the Nebraska State Legislature from 1971 to 1978.[1] He went by the nickname Wally.
He is notable for introducing the first state law against sexually assaulting one's spouse in the United States. Laws patterned on it spread to other states.
Barnett was born in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1931 and attended the University of Nebraska.[2]
Before he was elected to office, Barnett was firefighter with the Lincoln Fire Department for 14 years.[3][4] He was among firefighters who were unable to save a mother and baby trapped in a burning house in Havelock on the day after Christmas of 1965. After the fire Barnett declined to ride back to the fire station with his coworkers, and instead walked back to the fire station in his bunker gear. After his shift ended he laid down and cried. The incident deeply affected him, haunting him for decades.[5]
Legislature
As a state senator, Barnett's main concerns were juvenile justice procedures, women's rights, improved highway safety efforts, and improved state mental institutions.[6] He was chairman of the Judiciary Committee.[3]
Criminal sexual assault law
Second wave feminist activists and victim's advocates including Karen Flowers of the Lincoln Coalition against Rape encouraged reform of Nebraska's rape laws in the 1970s. In 1975 Barnett introduced a bill to repeal rape laws dating from the 19th century, and to replace them with a law using the term "criminal sexual assault" instead of "rape". This change in language applied to a broader range of unwanted sexual contact and was intended to make testimony less personal for those who were assaulted. The bill sought to "protect the dignity of the victim at all stages of the judicial process."[7]
Unlike the old law, the new proposed law against sexual assault would have no exception for spousal assault. The new law would use gender-neutral language to designate the assailant and the person attacked, though Barnett was aware that women are more often targeted by sex criminals than men are.[7]
Barnett's effort to outlaw spousal assault received strong support from Senators Ernie Chambers and Warren R. Swigart. Outlawing spousal assault passed nearly unanimously in the Legislature, with only Senator Glenn Goodrich voting against it.[7] The new law made Nebraska the first state in the United States with a law against sexually assaulting one's spouse.[8]
Domestic abuse law
In 1978 Barnett introduced the Protection from Domestic Abuse Act. The law channeled welfare funding to emergency shelter and counseling services for those subject to domestic violence and abuse, and required law enforcement officers to attend training programs on domestic violence.[7] As of 2020 this law is still in force.[9]
Eliminating anti-sodomy law
Barnett supported the repeal of anti-sodomy laws. The legislature voted to revise Nebraska's criminal code in 1977 to remove the state's ban on gay sex.[10] Governor J. James Exon vetoed the revision.[11] Barnett talked with Exon, and discovered that the governor was fearful of "perverts, homos, and gays." Barnett made a motion to override the governor's veto.[12] This was successful, making Nebraska among the first states to legalize same-sex intercourse.[11]
Other legislation
Barnett drafted a bill to legalize abortion in 1971, working together with NORAL, the Nebraska branch of NARAL. The bill was never introduced because it had little hope of passing. Barnett hoped that instead abortion could be legalized in court, because he felt that laws like Nebraska's were unconstitutional.[13] His prediction would come true in 1973's Roe v. Wade court decision.
Barnett sponsored a measure requiring keepers of city jails to keep medical records of any procedures done to inmates.[14]
