William Harker (23 June 1819 – 18 September 1905) was a wool merchant, banker and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician who represented

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

. Harker was born at Pateley Bridge, near

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historic counties of England, Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor at ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, the son of Robert and Nancy Harker. He made a fortune in the wool trade at

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

and became a director of the Bradford Banking Company, which was later merged into

Barclays Bank Barclays () is a British multinational universal bank, headquartered in London, England. Barclays operates as two divisions, Barclays UK and Barclays International, supported by a service company, Barclays Execution Services. Barclays traces ...

. In civic matters, he helped in the development of improved water supply and sewage disposal in Bradford.National Federation of Cemetery Friends
/ref> Harker was elected MP for Ripon in 1885 but lost the seat in 1886. Harker died in 1905 and, in 1906, his daughter Gertrude had repaired the old Chapel of St Mary the Virgin, which had been deconsecrated and left as a ruin, and established the Harker Memorial in Pateley Bridge Cemetery. Other family members named on the monument include his son, Robert, who was killed in action in France in 1915, and a descendant, Frederick, who was killed in action at sea in 1940. The Harker memorial was in a neglected state in 2006, but it was discovered that there was a forgotten Harker Trust Fund which had been set up to maintain both the memorial and churchyard. Members of the National Federation of Cemetery Friends began to restore the monument.

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* 1819 births 1905 deaths Businesspeople from Bradford People from Pateley Bridge Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 19th-century English businesspeople {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub