John Barker (diplomat)
| John Barker | |
|---|---|
| Consul of the Levant Company in Aleppo | |
|
In office 1799–1825 |
|
| Monarch |
George III George IV |
| Preceded by | Robert Abbott |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel William Worry |
| British Consul in Alexandria | |
|
In office 1826–1829 |
|
| Monarch | George IV |
| Preceded by | Peter Lee |
| Succeeded by | ? |
| British Consul-General in Egypt | |
|
In office 1829–1833 |
|
| Monarch | George IV William IV |
| Preceded by | Henry Salt |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Campbell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
9 March 1771 Smyrna, Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 5 October 1849 (aged 78) Suedia, Ottoman Syria |
| Nationality | British |
| Spouse(s) | Marianne Hays |
| Children | Three sons Two daughters |
| Occupation | Horticulturist |
| Profession | Diplomat |
John Barker (9 March 1771 – 5 October 1849) was an English diplomat and horticulturist.
Born in Smyrna (present-day İzmir) on 9 March 1771, Barker was educated in England. In 1797, he went to Constantinople where he became private secretary to Sir John Spencer Smith, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire.
Barker was Consul of the Levant Company in Aleppo maybe as early as 1799, but certainly from 1803. He seems to have remained in post until 1825, not least because there is no evidence of a replacement. He had an annual salary of £1,200, the equivalent of £106,326 in present-day terms. He had to flee from Aleppo in 1807 due to the rupture between the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire. He remained in hiding and rendered important services to the East India Company. He returned to Aleppo after the signing of the 1809 peace treaty between the two countries. Barker stayed in Aleppo until 1825. Upon his departure, the Aleppo consulship remained vacant for nearly a decade, until Nathaniel William Werry was appointed to the post in 1835.
On 28 June 1826, Barker was appointed British consul in Alexandria, Egypt. Following the death of Henry Salt in 1827, Barker acted as consul-general in Egypt. He was formally appointed to the position on 30 June 1829. Barker proved himself unreliable during the first stages of the crisis between Western powers and Muhammad Ali Pasha, the viceroy of Egypt who was pursuing an expansionist policy at that time. As a result, British Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston replaced him as consul with a commissioned officer, Colonel Patrick Campbell. Barker retired in 1833. In the same year, his collection of antiquities was sold anonymously by Sotheby's. Barker had been a fervent collector of antiquities, and his collection comprised 258 lots. The British Museum and John Lee were the principal buyers.
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