James Nelson Barker (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 17 June 1784 – 9 March 1858, Washington, D.C.) was an American soldier, playwright, and politician. He rose to major in the army during the War of 1812, wrote ten plays, and served as mayor of Philadelphia.
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Life
Barker was born in Philadelphia, the son of James Barker, who was also later a mayor of the city.[1]
At the onset of the War of 1812, he was appointed captain of artillery and in 1813 commanded Fort Mifflin. He raised two companies of artillery and marched with them to the Canadian border.
In 1814 he was severely wounded in a duel.[1] When peace returned in 1814, he was assistant adjutant-general of the 4th military district, with the rank of major, till 1817. He then entered civil life, and was chosen alderman.
Barker wrote ten plays, five of which have survived in print. He set aside his writing when he was elected mayor of Philadelphia in 1819. He returned to the theatre in 1824 with his last play, Superstition; or, The Fanatic Father.
Thereafter, Barker devoted himself to public service, and from 1829 till 1838 he was collector of customs for the port. In 1838, President Martin Van Buren appointed him comptroller of the Treasury, and with slight interruptions he worked in the Treasury Department until his death.
Works
Poetry
- "The Sisters"
- "Little Red Riding Hood"
Plays
- Tears and Smiles (1807), comedy.
- The Embargo; or, What News? (1808), drama. Barker's drama in support of the Embargo Acts and the Jefferson administration provoked riots when it is performed in Philadelphia.
- The Indian Princess; or, La Belle Sauvage (1808), comedy, with music by John Bray. with songs about the Pocahontas story. It is the first play about American Indians by an American playwright and the first play produced in America to be performed in England, where in 1820 it was offered at Drury Lane as Pocahontas; or, The Indian Princess.
- Marmion; or, The Battle of Flodden Field (1812), a blank-verse dramatization of Sir Walter Scott's poem. It was initially purposefully attributed to English dramatist Thomas Morton, out of fear of disregard for a play by an American. It went on to great success and was staged until as late as 1848.
- How to Try a Lover (1817), drama. An adaptation of the French picaresque novel La folie espagnole by Charles Pigault-Lebrun (1753-1835). It was not produced until 1836 as The Court of Love.
- The Armourer's Escape; or, Three Years at Nootka Sound (1817), drama. This play was based on the real-life adventures of John Jewitt, who played himself at the premiere.
- Superstition; or, The Fanatic Father (1824), tragedy. Produced at the Chestnut Street Theatre, 1824.
- The Spanish Rover (not published or produced)
- America - a Masque (not published or produced)
Other
- An oration delivered at Philadelphia Vauxhall Gardens, on the forty-first anniversary of American independence, by James Nelson Barker. Published in 1817, Printed by John Binns (Philadelphia)
- A Sketch of the Primitive Settlements on Delaware River (1827), non-fiction.
References
- James Nelson Barker Seventeen Eighty Four to Eighteen Fifty Eight, With a Reprint of His Comedy Tears and Smiles, by Paul H. Musser, James Nelson Barker, Published in June 1929, Ams Pr Inc
External links
This article incorporates text from the public domain Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography.
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Robert Wharton (Philadelphia) |
Mayor of Philadelphia 1819–1820 |
Succeeded by Robert Wharton (Philadelphia) |
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