Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet
Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet | |
---|---|
Born | 6 April 1840 |
Died | December 16, 1914 | (aged 74)
Occupation(s) | Businessman, politician |
Parent | Joseph Barker |
Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet (6 April 1840 – 16 December 1914) was a British
Early life
John Barker was born on 6 April 1840 in Loose, Kent, England.[1] He grew up in Maidstone, where his father, Joseph Barker, was a brewer.[1][2] He was apprenticed as a draper in Maidstone for three years.[2]
Career
Barker began his career by working as a draper in Folkestone and Dover.[1] In 1858, he worked for Spencer, Turner & Boldero in Marylebone, London.[1] He subsequently worked for William Whiteley on Westbourne Grove in Bayswater, London.[2] After Whiteley refused to partner with Barker, the latter decided to open a store on Kensington High Street with Sir James Whitehead, 1st Baronet instead.[2] As a result, the two men founded Barkers of Kensington.[2] It became a public company known as John Barker & Co Ltd in 1894.[1]
Barker was an
Personal life and death
Barker lived at The Grange, Rye Street, Bishop's Stortford. Its grounds included what is now Grange Park and Broadfield. His daughter Annie married Tresham Gilbey, one of the sons of Sir Walter Gilbey.
Barker died on 16 December 1914.
References
- ^ a b c d e "Person: Barker, Sir John (1840–1914)". House of Fraser Archive. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ^ OCLC 42308455.
- ^ "No. 28200". The London Gazette. 27 November 1908. p. 9026.
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir John Barker
- The story of John Barker & Co Ltd, Kensington, London, from Michael Moss and Alison Turton, A Legend of Retailing: House of Fraser, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989.