Harold H. Barker
Harold Henry Barker | |
|---|---|
| 39th Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives | |
| In office January 1937 – January 1939 | |
| Preceded by | George W. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence M. Hall |
| Minnesota State Representative | |
| In office January 1931 – January 1939 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 June 1889 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | 23 March 1949 (aged 59) |
| Party | Nonpartisan Liberal Caucus Farmer-Labor DFL |
| Spouse | Marion Grey |
Harold Henry Barker (15 June 1889 – 23 March 1949) was a Minnesota Farmer-Laborite politician, candidate for Governor of Minnesota, and a Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, in 1930, where he caucused with the Liberal Caucus in the then-nonpartisan body. In 1937, he was elected to serve as speaker, a position he held for two years. His father, H. W. Barker, served in the Wisconsin State Senate.
Barker would become the leader of the newly formed DFL from its creation in 1944. The newly formed party found itself in an ideological struggle between the left-wing and right-wing factions of the party, with Barker leading the left.[1]
In 1946, Barker served as the second gubernatorial candidate after of the merger of the Minnesota Democratic and Farmer-Labor Parties into the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, losing to Luther Youngdahl.[2]
Following his electoral defeat and an internal rebellion against him in the YDFL, Barker would lose his position as party secretary in 1949.[1]
References
- ^ a b Parlin, L.D. (20 December 1947). "Barker Mulls Young DFL Defiance".
- ^ Minnesota Legislators Past and Present