Wharton Barker

Wharton Barker
Born	Template:Birth date Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	April 9, 1921(1921-04-09) (aged 74) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Financier, political advocate
Known for	Republican presidential politics in the 1880s; Populist presidential candidate in 1900

Wharton Barker (May 1, 1846 – April 9, 1921) was a prominent American financier and political advocate who played a significant role in Republican presidential politics during the 1880s and later emerged as a Populist contender for the presidency in 1900.

Life

Originating from Philadelphia, Barker was the son of Abraham Barker and Sarah Wharton. After serving as a company commander in the Civil War, he completed his studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 1866. The following year, he married Margaret Corlies, with whom he had three children.

Barker became a partner at the banking institution Barker Bros. & Co. In 1878, he was designated as a special financial agent by the Russian government. During the Russo-Turkish War, he assisted Russia in procuring warships, an effort that earned him the Order of Saint Stanislaus. With backing from Tsar Alexander II, Barker expanded mining enterprises throughout Russia and Europe and obtained concessions for railroads, telegraph lines, and telephone services in China; however, these concessions were subsequently withdrawn. In 1869, he established Penn Monthly, a weekly publication focused on political and economic topics, which was later renamed The American and published from 1880 to 1900.

In the political arena, Barker opposed Ulysses S. Grant’s attempt to secure a third presidential term in 1880, supporting James A. Garfield’s nomination by the Republican Party. Garfield offered him the position of Secretary of the Interior, but Barker declined. He backed Benjamin Harrison at the 1888 Republican National Convention but parted ways with the party in 1896 over disagreements concerning free silver policy. Subsequently, he aligned with the Populist Party and supported William Jennings Bryan’s candidacy. In 1900, Populists who rejected fusion with Bryan selected Barker as their presidential nominee.

During the Republican Party division in the 1912 election cycle, Barker initially endorsed Senator Albert B. Cummins for the presidential nomination but shifted his support to Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Party after Cummins was unsuccessful.

Barker was inducted into the American Philosophical Society in 1884. He passed away in Philadelphia in 1921 following a short illness and was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery.