Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet

Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet
Born	6 April 1840 Loose, Kent, U.K.
Died	16 December 1914
Occupation	Businessman, politician
Parent(s)	Joseph Barker

Sir John Barker, 1st Baronet (6 April 1840 – 16 December 1914) was a British entrepreneur of the late 19th and early 20th century. He was the founder of the Barkers department store in Kensington, London, United Kingdom.

John Barker was born on 6 April 1840 in Loose, Kent, England. He grew up in Maidstone, where his father, Joseph Barker, was a brewer. He was apprenticed as a draper in Maidstone for three years.

Barker began his career by working as a draper in Folkestone and Dover. In 1858, he worked for Spencer, Turner & Boldero in Marylebone, London. He subsequently worked for William Whiteley on Westbourne Grove in Bayswater, London. After Whiteley refused to partner with Barker, the latter decided to open a store on Kensington High Street with Sir James Whitehead, 1st Baronet instead. As a result, the two men founded Barkers of Kensington. It became a public company known as John Barker & Co Ltd in 1894.

Barker was an Alderman of the first London County Council and Liberal MP for Maidstone 1900-1901, and for the now abolished constituency of Penryn and Falmouth in Cornwall from 1906 to 1910. He was awarded a baronetcy in 1908.

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