Albert Smith Barker (March 31, 1843 – January 30, 1916) was an admiral in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

who served during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

Biography

Barker was born on March 31, 1843 in

Hanson, Massachusetts Hanson is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Part of Greater Boston, Hanson is located 20 miles (32 km) south of Boston and is one of the inland towns of the South Shore. The population was 10,639 at the 2020 census. ...

, the son of Josiah and Eliza (Cushing) Barker. He entered the

U.S. Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of ...

in October 1859 at the age of sixteen and was graduated in May 1861 after the outbreak of the Civil War. Barker initially served as a midshipman aboard the , was commissioned as an ensign in November 1862 and survived its sinking in March 1863. He later served on and during the Civil War. In July 1883, Albert Barker was commander of the screw-sloop while on the East Coast of Africa at Zanzibar. He wrote a report on the "Trade of Zanzibar" of imports and exports for the years 1882–83. The trade of the port principally being with the United States, England, Germany, and France. Many vessels from these countries were employed in this trade process with America, such as the British man-of-war stationed at Zanzibar as a store ship. From May 1892 to August 1894, Barker was commander of the cruiser . On October 26, 1894, Barker married Mary Ellen (Blackmar) Maxwell (1852–1938), the widow of a religious missionary who died in 1890 while the couple was in India. She was an author of three novels under the name Ellen Blackmar Maxwell. From March 1896 to January 1897, Barker was commander of the battleship . During the Spanish–American War, Barker commanded the cruiser and participated in the bombardment of Santiago on July 1, 1898. In August 1898, he again became commander of the ''Oregon''. In 1899, Barker briefly served as Commander-in-Chief of the

Asiatic Squadron The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily invo ...

. Barker served as commandant of the

Norfolk Navy Yard The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships. It is the oldest and largest industrial facility tha ...

from 1899 to 1900 and commandant of the

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

from 1900 to 1903. He was Commander-in-Chief of the

North Atlantic Fleet The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the North ...

from April 1, 1903 to March 31, 1905. Rear Admiral Barker died of pneumonia on January 30, 1916, at his home in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Barker and his wife are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

Recognition

The destroyer was named for him.

Gallery

File:Lt. Barker, 1864.png, Barker as a Lieutenant, 1864 File:Albert S. Barker.jpg, Barker as Rear Admiral, no later than 1901

Dates of rank

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

– Class of 1863, graduated May 1861 Barker never held the rank of LTJG (O-2) due to it not being created until later years. As well, Rear Admiral then is equivalent to today's

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

(Upper Half).

Notes

References

* Marquis Who's Who, Inc. ''Who Was Who in American History, the Military''. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1975. * Reports from the Consul of the United States on the Commerce, Manufactures, Etc. of their consular districts. No. 31-July 1883. Published by the department of state, according to act of congress.

Attribution

: {{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Albert S. 1843 births 1916 deaths People from Hanson, Massachusetts United States Naval Academy alumni People of Massachusetts in the American Civil War Union Navy officers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War United States Navy rear admirals (upper half) Military personnel from Washington, D.C. Deaths from pneumonia in Washington, D.C. Burials at Arlington National Cemetery