Laird Howard Barber (October 25, 1848 – February 16, 1928) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who was a Democratic member of the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, serving one term from 1899 to 1901.

Life and career

Barber was born on a farm near

Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania Mifflinburg is a borough in Union County, located in Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley. Mifflinburg was first settled in 1792 by Elias and Catharina Jungman (Youngman) and their two children. They divided the land into 60’ by 1 ...

. He prepared for college in the Mifflinburg Academy, and graduated from

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 1832. The founders voted to name the college after General Laf ...

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river that joins the Delaware R ...

, in 1871. He taught school at

Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania Mount Carmel is a borough in Northumberland County, located in the Coal Heritage Region of Central Pennsylvania's Susquehanna River Valley, United States. The population was 5,725 at the 2020 census. It is located 88 miles (141 km) north ...

and was principal of the

Mauch Chunk Jim Thorpe is a borough and the county seat of Carbon County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. It is historically known as the burial site of Native American sports legend Jim Thorpe. Jim Thorpe is ...

Public Schools from 1875 to 1880. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in

Carbon County, Pennsylvania Carbon County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in Northeastern Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,749. The county is also part of Pennsylvania's Coal Region and Northeastern Pennsylvania. T ...

, in 1881, and commenced practice at Mauch Chunk. He was elected in 1890 a director of the Mauch Chunk School Board and served as president and treasurer, and also served as secretary of the town council.

Congress and judicial career

He was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in 1896. Barber was elected as a Democrat to the Fifty-sixth Congress. He was not a candidate for renomination in 1900. He resumed the practice of law in Mauch Chunk. In 1913, he was elected president judge of the fifty-sixth judicial district of Pennsylvania. He was reelected in 1923 and served until his death in Mauch Chunk in 1928. He is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in

East Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania East Mauch Chunk is a former independent borough in Carbon County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the east bank of the Lehigh River on the opposite bank from the town business district, it was part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. Original ...

Sources

Laird Howard Barber
at ''The Political Graveyard'' 1848 births 1928 deaths 19th-century American lawyers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania Lafayette College alumni Pennsylvania lawyers Pennsylvania state court judges People from Carbon County, Pennsylvania People from Union County, Pennsylvania {{Pennsylvania-state-judge-stub