Henry W. Barker (March 18, 1860 – February 24, 1950) was a member of the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the larger Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after t ...

Biography

Barker was born in

Leon, Monroe County, Wisconsin The Town of Leon is located in Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 858 at the 2000 census. Leon is said to have been named after León, Guanajuato in Mexico. Recreation GatorFest Leon's yearly celebration is ''GatorFest,'' ...

, and attended West Salem High School. After completing high school, he "went to Minnesota 'to visit' and stayed 22 years". He worked in the drug business for 15 years while living in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, and owned H. W. Barker Medical Company in

Sparta, Wisconsin Sparta is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County, Wisconsin, United States, along the La Crosse River. The population was 10,025 at the 2020 census. History Sparta is located on former Ho-Chunk territory acquired by the United States i ...

. On May 9, 1893 he was awarded a patent for a drug mixer which he claimed could also be used to pop corn or roast coffee.

Career

Barker was a member of the Senate from 1907 to 1909. Previously, he had served three terms as Mayor of Elbow Lake. He was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. In the Senate, he became chair of the health and sanitation committee, where he successfully pushed for passage of a "long sheet" law "requiring hotels to use sheets nine feet in length to cover the mattresses and comforters".

Personal life

Barker married Frances Mary McMahan in 1884; she died in 1933. Barker died at the home of one of his two daughters, in Sparta, at the age of 89. Barker's son Harold H. Barker served in the Minnesota legislature. H. W. Barker died at his daughter's home in Sparta on February 24, 1950.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, H. W. People from Monroe County, Wisconsin Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Mayors of places in Minnesota 1860 births 1950 deaths People from Elbow Lake, Minnesota