James Nelson Barker
American mayor (1784-1858)
James Nelson Barker (June 17, 1784 – March 9, 1858) was an American soldier, playwright and politician. He rose to the rank of major in the Army during the War of 1812, wrote ten plays, and was mayor of Philadelphia.
Early life
Barker was born on June 17, 1784, in Philadelphia. He was the fourth son of John Barker, and Mary Nelson, who were married on July 13, 1769. His education was limited, for though he attended local schools, he spent more time reading books than studying. However, Barker's father ensured that his son was educated in gentlemanly etiquette and the ability to defend himself with a sword or pistol. Barker began writing in 1804. The Spanish Rover was a three-act play based on Cervantes. However, only one act was completed, and eventually burned. His studies were also challenged by travel.
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Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 1, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1680890. VIAF identifies the subject as 18368405. The Library of Congress control number is n50017791. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1784, 1858, 1812 and 1769.
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This entry incorporates text from “James Nelson Barker” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.