BARKER, JAcon (1779-1871). An American financier and lawyer, born in Swan Island. Me., of (,)uaker parentage. He went to New York at the age of 16, engaged in trade on his own ac count. and soon amassed a considerable fortune. Early in the War of 1812 he was instrumental in securing a loan of $5,000,000 for the National Government, which was then pressed for funds. lie took an active interest in polities. was a prominent member of the Tammany Society, and served for a term as State Senator. He was for some time a member of the Court of Errors, as then constituted, and in one instance had his opinion on an important point sustained against that of Chancellor Kent. In 1815 he founded the Exchange Bank of New York, and subsequently became interested in many other large financial institutions in the city, including the Life and Fire Insurance Company, on the failure of which, in 1826, he, with a number of others, was ar rested on a charge of conspiracy to defraud. Barker at first conducted his own defense, but subsequently was represented by such eminent counsel as Benjamin F. Butler and Thomas A. Emmet. The jury disagreed on the first trial, and convicted Barker on the second; but an ap peal was granted, and the indictment was finally quashed. Barker removed to New Orleans in1834,
and soon became prominent there in financial cir cles, besides being admitted to the bar, and prac ticing with some success in insurance eases. At the close of the Civil War he was elected to the United States Senate, but Louisiana not having been readmitted to the Union, he was not allowed to take his seat. In 1S67 his business ventures having proved unfortunate, lie was declared bankrupt, and spent the last few years of his life with his son in Philadelphia. Ile published The Rebellion: Its Consequences, and the Con gressional Committee. Denominated the Recon struction Committee, with Their Action (1860).
Consult: Incidents of the Life of Jacob Barker from the Year I800 to the I'eur 185.5 (New York, 1855) ; Turner, The Trials of 1826 and 1827: .1 Chapter in the Life of Jacob Barker (Philadelphia, 1864) ; The Speeches of Jacob Barker and His Counsel on the Trials for Conspiracy (New York, 1820) ; and The Trial of Jacob Barker, Thomas and Matthew L. Davis (New York, 1827).