George W. Barker (February 22, 1804 - April 7, 1873) was an American businessman and public official in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He was notable for his service as

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforcem ...

for the District of Vermont (1835-1837), Sheriff of

Washington County, Vermont Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. Named after George Washington, its county seat is the city of Montpelier (the least populous state capital in the United States) and the most populous municipality is the cit ...

(1843-1845), and Judge of

Manitowoc County, Wisconsin Manitowoc County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 81,359. Its county seat is Manitowoc. The county was created in 1836 prior to Wisconsin's statehood and organized in 1848. Manitowoc Count ...

(1864-1869).

Biography

George W. Barker was born in

Randolph, Vermont Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that ...

on February 22, 1804, the son of Daniel Barker and Anna (Lathrop) Barker. He was raised and educated in Randolph, where he went into business as the proprietor of the Randolph Hotel. Barker later sold his holdings in Randolph and relocated to Montpelier where he worked as an auctioneer and was employed as an officer of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives ar ...

. In 1833, Barker was appointed a deputy sheriff of Washington, County. Active in the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

, in 1835 he was appointed

for the District of Vermont, succeeding Heman Lowry. He served until 1837, when Lowry returned to the Marshal's position. In 1836, he was hired by Montpelier's village government to conduct a census of its population and businesses. From 1837 to 1840, Barker served as Montpelier's postmaster. In 1839, Barker and partner J. T. Martson purchased Montpelier's ''Vermont Patriot'' newspaper, a leading Democratic outlet. Other ventures in which Barker was interested included acting as the sales agent for several Vermont counties in retailing two patent medicines, ''Goelicke's Matchless Sanative'' and ''Phelps' Compound Tomato Pills''. From 1843 to 1846, Barker served as Washington County Sheriff. In the 1840s and 1850s, Barker received construction contracts during the creation of the

Central Vermont Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

and his successful execution made him wealthy. He then received contracts to construct portions of the

Rutland and Washington Railroad The Rutland and Washington Railroad was a railroad company based in Rutland, Vermont which was chartered in Vermont on November 13, 1847 and built between Rutland and Eagle Bridge in Rensselaer County, New York in 1851 and 1852. One of the comp ...

; when this venture failed during the

Panic of 1857 The Panic of 1857 was a financial panic in the United States caused by the declining international economy and over-expansion of the domestic economy. Because of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel F. Morse in 1844, the Panic of 1857 was ...

, Barker lost his fortune and moved to

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Ohio, United States, located along the Grand River northeast of Cleveland. Its population was 19,563 at the 2010 census. Painesville is the home of Lake Erie College, Morley Libra ...

. His railroad construction efforts there also proved unsuccessful, and Barker moved to

Manitowoc, Wisconsin Manitowoc () is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2020 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,626, with ove ...

. In Wisconsin, Barker undertook construction for the Appleton and New London Railway (later the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railroad). The railroad was a success, which enabled Barker to restore his finances. Still active in politics as a Democrat, Barker served as Manitowoc County Judge from 1864 to 1869. Barker died in Manitowoc on April 7, 1873. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Manitowoc.

Family

In 1827, Barker married Julia Geer of

Chaplin, Connecticut Chaplin is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named for Deacon Benjamin Chaplin, an early settler. The population was 2,151 at the 2020 census. Points of interest * The Chaplin Museum is a local historical museum. ...

. She died in 1864 and in 1865 he married Mary Coventry, the widow of Washington Goodnow. With his first wife, Barker was the father of a son, George (1837-1851).

References

Sources

Internet

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Newspapers

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Books

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External links

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, George W. 1804 births 1873 deaths People from Randolph, Vermont People from Montpelier, Vermont People from Manitowoc, Wisconsin Vermont Democrats Vermont sheriffs Vermont postmasters United States Marshals Wisconsin Democrats Wisconsin state court judges Burials in Wisconsin 19th-century American judges