John Barker (Philadelphia)

Major General John Barker (c.1746—April 3, 1818) was twice mayor of Philadelphia. He was also a tailor.

John Barker
53rd and 56th
Mayor of Philadelphia
In office
October 18, 1808 – October 16, 1810
Preceded byRobert Wharton
Succeeded byRobert Wharton
In office
October 20, 1812 – October 19, 1813
Preceded byMichael Keppele
Succeeded byJohn Geyer
Personal details
DiedPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic-Republican
Military service
Allegiance United States of America
Years of service1777-1808
RankMajor General
Battles/warsAmerican Revolutionary War

Barker served in the Revolutionary War and remained active in the military through 1808, when he retired as Major General of the First Brigade, First Division.

He served twice as sheriff of Philadelphia, from 1794 to 1797 and 1803 to 1807. He was appointed an alderman of the city of Philadelphia by Governor Thomas McKean on October 22, 1800. He was elected mayor by the Select and Common Councils on October 20, 1808, and was re-elected in 1809 and again, after an interval of two years, in 1812.[1]

During the War of 1812, he served on the city's Committee of Defense.

He died in Philadelphia at age 72.[2]

Family

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He was the only son of James Barker. He was the father of playwright James Nelson Barker, who served in the army during the War of 1812, rising to the rank of major, and who was also later mayor of Philadelphia.

References

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  1. ^ The Lives of Eminent Philadelphians, Now Deceased: Collected from Original and Authentic Sources, by Henry Simpson, published by W. Brotherhead, 1859.
  2. ^ "OBITUARIES OF PENNSYLVANIA REVOLUTIONARY VETERANS, From Newspaper Files 1790 to 1855, PENNSYLVANIA ARCHIVES – SERIES 2". Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Philadelphia
1808–1810
Succeeded by
Preceded by Mayor of Philadelphia
1812–1813
Succeeded by