John Barker Church
| John Barker Church | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Wendover |
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In office 1790 – 1796 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Burton |
| Succeeded by | John Hiley Addington |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1748 Lowestoft, England |
| Died | 5 February 1818 (aged 69) London, England |
| Resting place | St. James, Piccadilly |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Angelica Schuyler (m. 1777; her death 1814) |
| Children | 8 |
| Parents | Richard Church Elizabeth Barker |
John Barker Church (October 30, 1748 – c. May 2, 1818) was an English born businessman and supplier of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. He returned to England after the Revolutionary War and served in the House of Commons from 1790 until 1796. He was known for his marriage to Angelica Schuyler, of the prominent American Schuyler family, and being the brother-in-law of Alexander Hamilton, who died in a duel in 1804 with Aaron Burr, with whom Church had also had a duel in 1799.
John Barker Church was born on October 30, 1748 in Lowestoft, England, the son of Richard Church (1697–1774) of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk by Elizabeth Barker (1701–1800), daughter of John Barker.
Church was set up in business in London by his mother's brother, a wealthy uncle named John Barker who was a director of the London Assurance Company. It was reported that speculation on the stock exchange and gambling were responsible for his bankruptcy in August 1774.
To escape his creditors he went to America, where he became one of three commissioners appointed by the Continental Congress in July 1776 to audit the accounts of the army in the northern department. He resigned his commission in September 1777, and moved to Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, he began a variety of businesses, including banking and shipping, and speculated in currency and land. In 1780, along with his business partner, Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth of Hartford, Connecticut, he secured a contract for provisioning the French forces in America, becoming Commissary General. Two years later, they were contracted as sole suppliers to the American army as well, and ended up making a fortune.
After the war from 1783 until 1785, Church and his family lived in Paris while he performed his duties as a U.S. envoy to the French government. After briefly returning to America in 1785, Church and his family left for England the same year. In 1788, the Churches bought the Verney property at Wendover so that he could run for Parliament, which he did in 1790, when he was elected a Member of Parliament for Wendover. Prior to his election, he was involved with the Marquis de la Luzerne, the French ambassador in some unsuccessful stock speculation during the Nootka Crisis, a dispute between Great Britain and Spain.
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