Joel Allen Barber (January 17, 1809 – June 28, 1881) was an American lawyer and politician. He served two terms in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district covers most of the Driftless Area in southwestern and western Wisconsin. The district includes the cities of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Wisconsin, La Crosse, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin, ...

, he was the 15th Speaker of the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican ...

, and he served one term in the

Wisconsin State Senate The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those o ...

.J. Allen Barber
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Early life and education

Barber was born in the town of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, in

Franklin County, Vermont Franklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,946. Its county seat is the city of St. Albans. It borders the Canadian province of Quebec. The county was created in 1792 and o ...

, to Joel and Aseneth Melvin Barber. He worked on a farm until age 18, then entered the Georgia Academy. After graduating from the academy, he attended the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, commonly referred to as the University of Vermont (UVM), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont, United States. Foun ...

in Burlington, where he studied law. He left the university after two and a half years and

read law Reading law was the primary method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship un ...

with George P. Marsh. He was admitted to the bar in 1833 in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

, where he was teaching school, and commenced practice in

Fairfield, Vermont Fairfield is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States, chartered in 1763. The population was 2,044 at the 2020 census. President Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield in 1829, and lived there for the first three years of his life. ...

Career

Barber moved to the

Wisconsin Territory The Territory of Wisconsin was an organized and incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 3, 1836, until May 29, 1848, when an eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Wisconsin. Belm ...

in 1837, settling in

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

, in

Grant County Grant County may refer to: Places ;Australia * County of Grant, Victoria ;United States * Grant County, Arkansas * Grant County, Indiana * Grant County, Kansas *Grant County, Kentucky Grant County is a county located in the northern pa ...

, where he continued to practice law. He served as

county clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...

for

, for four years and as district attorney for three terms. He served as member of the first constitutional convention of Wisconsin in 1846. Barber was elected to the

in 1852, 1853, as a Whig, in

1863 Events January * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...

as a Republican, and, 1864, on the National Union ticket. He was elected speaker for the 1863 session. He also served one two-year term as Grant County's representative in the

in 1856 and 1857. After establishing a law partnership with George Clementson in 1869, Barber was elected to the

as a Republican, serving in the Forty-second and Forty-third Congresses from March 4, 1871, to March 3, 1875. He served as the representative of

. While Barber was serving in Congress, George Clementson conducted the legal work of their firm. Barber was not a candidate for renomination in 1874, and was succeeded by

Henry S. Magoon Henry Sterling Magoon (January 31, 1832March 3, 1889) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives, representing Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. Biography Born in M ...

. Upon leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law with Clementson.

Death

Barber died in

Lancaster, Wisconsin Lancaster is a city in and the county seat of Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,907 at the 2020 census. History Lancaster originated as a planned community to serve as the county seat for Grant County. Anticipating t ...

, June 28, 1881, following an attack of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and covering of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One pa ...

and was interred in Hillside Cemetery.

Notes

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Joel Allen 1809 births 1881 deaths People from Georgia, Vermont Republican Party Wisconsin state senators Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly People from Lancaster, Wisconsin Politicians from Grant County, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Wisconsin American lawyers admitted to the practice of law by reading law Speakers of the Wisconsin State Assembly 19th-century members of the Wisconsin Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives