Donald Barr (August 8, 1921 – February 5, 2004) was an American educator, writer, and Office of Strategic Services (OSS) officer who served as headmaster of the Dalton School in New York City from 1964 to 1974. He is most notably connected to the Jeffrey Epstein case through his tenure at Dalton, where Epstein was hired to teach mathematics and physics in 1974, and through his son William Barr, who served as U.S. Attorney General when Epstein died in federal custody in 2019.

Barr was known as a strict disciplinarian and educational conservative, which put him at odds with the school's progressive board and parent body. By the early 1970s, mounting controversy over his approach led to his departure in 1974. The timing of Jeffrey Epstein's hiring at Dalton has been the subject of significant scrutiny. Barr left his position as headmaster in summer 1974, and Epstein, age 20-21, began working at Dalton as a mathematics and physics teacher in September 1974 despite lacking a college degree.

Whether Barr personally hired Epstein or the hire was made during the transition period remains disputed. Regardless of timing, Epstein's position at Dalton became the critical first step in his career trajectory. The school connected him to elite Manhattan families, including parents who worked on Wall Street. One Dalton parent, Alan "Ace" Greenberg, CEO of Bear Stearns, later hired Epstein at the investment bank in 1976.

In 1973, the year before leaving Dalton, Barr published a science fiction novel titled Space Relations: A Slightly Gothic Interplanetary Tale. The novel has drawn attention for its dystopian themes including sexual slavery, though fact-checkers note "it does not celebrate slavery or sexual violence." Donald Barr's connection to the Epstein case gained renewed attention in 2019 when his son William Barr served as U.S. Attorney General during Jeffrey Epstein's arrest, incarceration, and death. William Barr initially recused himself from the Epstein case but later reversed his recusal and became personally involved. After Epstein's death on August 10, 2019, Barr personally reviewed approximately 11 hours of jail surveillance footage and described Epstein's death as resulting from "a perfect storm of screw-ups."

Sources

Wikipedia, "Donald Barr"; "Jeffrey Epstein Taught at Dalton. His Behavior Was Noticed," Time, July 12, 2019; "Did Donald Barr Hire Jeffrey Epstein to Teach at Dalton School?" Snopes, Aug. 16, 2019; "Barr: Epstein's death was 'perfect storm of screw-ups,'" CBS News, Nov. 22, 2019.