Barker, John T., (1877-1958), Letter, 1951 (C1589)

1 item

INTRODUCTION

John Barker's letter to William E. Kemp, Democratic Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, gives Kemp advice on what he would need to do if he ran for U.S. Senator from Missouri and who else might run for the seat.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Barker Letter was donated to the State Historical Society of Missouri by Anton Tibbe on 11 November 1974 (SHS Accession No. 1113)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

John T. Barker, a Macon, Missouri, attorney, was attorney general of Missouri, 1913-1917. He waged an unsuccessful campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1916. He returned to private law practice in 1917 and settled in Kansas City, Missouri, where he served as city counselor for several years. Barker served as special attorney for the state of Missouri in the fire insurance rate case from 1923 to 1934. He also served in the same capacity in Kentucky. Active in Democratic politics throughout his lifetime, he was appointed to a position on the U.S. attorney general's staff by his close friend, Harry S. Truman.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

John Barker's letter to William E. Kemp, Democratic Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, gives Kemp advice on what he would need to do if he ran for U.S. Senator from Missouri and who else might run for the seat. Barker mentions other state democratic leaders such as governors Lloyd C. Stark and Forrest Smith as potential candidates. He also lists four groups whose support Kemp would need in order to win the state: labor, Catholics, "negroes", and Jews.

The rest of the letter deals with a lawsuit that Barker was involved in before the "3 Judge Court at K.C." concerning not being paid for work done in another lawsuit.

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.