Amos Walker Barber (July 25, 1860 – May 18, 1915) was an American surgeon and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. He was the second Governor of Wyoming after that state joined the Union in 1890.

Biography

Amos Barber was born in Doylestown,

Bucks County Bucks County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 646,538, making it the fourth-most populous county in Pennsylvania. Its county seat is Doylestown. The county is named after the English ...

, in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, to Alfred H. Barber and Asenath Walker. According to his grave stone his year of birth was 1860, not 1861 as given in some sources. After attending local schools, he studied

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

and

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. After graduating in 1883, Barber worked as a staff physician at the Pennsylvania Hospital, until he moved to Wyoming. He married Amelia Kent in 1892 and the couple had two children.

Career

In 1885, Barber moved to

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

to take up a position as surgeon in charge of the military hospital at Fort Fetterman. He was promoted to Acting Surgeon in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

and accompanied General George Crook's expedition to

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, then was assigned to duty at Fort D. A. Russell. After resigning from the

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is th ...

, he was in charge of the hospital of the Wyoming Stock Association. In 1889, he began private practice in

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

. In 1890, Barber was elected

Secretary of State of Wyoming The secretary of state of Wyoming is the state secretary of state of the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is a constitutional office, established under the Constitution of Wyoming and the secretary of state accedes to the governorship in case of a vac ...

as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

. Just eleven months later, however, Governor Francis E. Warren resigned to take up a

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

seat, and Barber was catapulted to the position of Acting Governor on November 24, 1890, at the age of just 30. During his administration, he called out state troops to quell a Pine Ridge Indian outbreak and asked for federal assistance with the

Johnson County War The Johnson County War, also known as the War on Powder River and the Wyoming Range War, was a range conflict that took place in Johnson County, Wyoming from 1889 to 1893. The conflict began when cattle companies started ruthlessly persecuting ...

between cattlemen ( WSGA) and cowboys (small time ranchers) in Johnson County in 1892. When John E. Osborne was elected on January 2, 1893, Barber continued on as Secretary of State under Osborne until his term ran out in 1895 and then returned to

and his practice. Barber rejoined the military in 1898, acting as assistant surgeon for the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (cloc ...

. He then returned to his practice of medicine in

References

External links

State biography
nbsp;– University of Wyoming library entries
Executive Officers of the States and TerritoriesWyoming Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Amos W. 1861 births 1915 deaths Governors of Wyoming Secretaries of State of Wyoming American surgeons People from Doylestown, Pennsylvania American Quakers Pennsylvania Republicans Wyoming Republicans Republican Party governors of Wyoming 19th-century American politicians Physicians from Wyoming