USA > California > Los Angeles County > Los Angeles > Los Angeles from the mountains to the sea : with selected biography of actors and witnesses to the period of growth and achievement, Volume III > Part 31
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OBADIAH TRUAX BARKER, who was the founder of the great mer- cantile business of Los Angeles now conducted as Barker Brothers, be- came a resident of the city forty years ago, and here on the Pacific Coast and in his later years achieved a business success even surpass- ing former experiences in Colorado and in Indiana, in which states the first thirty years of his life were passed.
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Mr. Barker was of Anglo Saxon ancestry, and it is said that the family name was derived from the occupation of the original progenitor, that of barking trees. During the colonial period and before the Revo- lutionary War some of the Barkers came to America and settled in North Carolina and the Virginias. The pioneer spirit carried a later genera- tion, represented by Thomas Barker, over the mountains into Kentucky, where he was a pioneer and where he achieved business prominence and public esteem. One of his sons was named Obadiah Truax, who was born in Kentucky and as a young man went to Cincinnati, Ohio, learning the blacksmith's trade, and subsequently became a pioneer in an unsettled region of Indiana, where in addition to his blacksmith shop he conducted a mercantile enterprise. He married Miss Mary Stalker, daughter of Jonathan Stalker, a native of North Carolina, and an early settler in Kentucky. These parents had a family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, all of whom grew up, and the last survivor was the Los Angeles merchant, Obadiah Truax Barker.
Obadiah Truax Barker was born at Scotland, Indiana, March 10, 1828, and as a youth had none of those advantages and opportunities that are now considered the essentials of a liberal education and ap- propriate training for business or the professions. His character was molded by his rugged environment, but his education was confined to the advantages of the district schools in Greene county, and his ambition prompted him to secure a higher education. He prepared for college and entered and was a student of the State University of Indiana at Bloomington until the opportunity came to get into business. This oppor- tunity was in the form of an offer to work as clerk at eleven dollars a month in a store formerly owned by his father. The salary was unim- portant but the eighteen months that followed gave him a fundamental knowledge of merchandising. At the end of that time he formed a part- nership with a local physician, Dr. J. A. Dagley, each supplying two hundred and fifty dollars, and with that modest capital they launched a store enterprise, and were successfully associated for five years. Mr. Barker then became sole proprietor, and continued several years longer. He then moved his business to Owensburg, Indiana, and successive years brought him rapid increase in his business as a merchant and also the esteem and confidence of the people of Greene county, who were more than willing to impress him with the responsibilities of public office. He was elected on the republican ticket and served four years as auditor of Greene county.
In 1872, about the time he left office, Mr. Barker moved with his family to Colorado Springs, Colorado, then a small mining community. On Tejon street he established the first general merchandise business in the town, and while his resident patrons at the beginning were not numerous, he had the advantage of trade with the Indians and traders. As the town rapidly developed his business also grew, and though he was there only eight years he left a permanent impress upon the constructive upbuilding of the city, and was one of the men who guided Colorado Springs through its formative period. In 1880 he sold his Colorado business, and at once came to Los Angeles.
His first enterprise in this city was in the furniture and carpet business under the firm name of Barker and Mueller, the latter being the father of Oscar Mueller, a prominent Los Angeles attorney. Their location was at 113 North Spring street. It was soon discovered that the store was outside the business district, and it was then moved to
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the vicinity of the Pico House, at that time the leading hotel of Los Angeles. In the meantime Mr. Barker had bought out his partner, and he continued business as O. T. Barker & Sons. That was the modest nucleus and foundation of the great business today known as Barker Brothers, whose magnificent store has drawn patrons from the most exclusive walks of life. After 1887 Mr. O. T. Barker was practically retired from business, though his name was continued in the style of the firm until 1898, in which year the title became Barker Brothers. The new firm moved to the Van Nuys Building, at 420-424 South Spring Street. This building had been designed especially for their use, and the store extended from Spring Street through to South Main Street, and used several stories of the building. November 1, 1909, Barker Brothers moved to their present location on South Broadway, where the store utilizes half a block of ground and a six-story building and basement. This is now the very center of the retail shopping dis- trict and as a department store it is regarded as the largest enterprise of its kind in Southern California. Every department is ingeniously arranged to exhibit the stock to the best advantage, and is carefully looked after by expert department managers.
On retiring from business Mr. O. T. Barker removed to Pasadena and made his home at 1449 Fair Oaks Avenue. He died at his home in that city in July, 1912. O. T. Barker was not only a great merchant, but in the words of Judge Lucien Shaw of the Supreme Court of Cali- fornia, "was a man of the most unflinching honesty and courage and was possessed of a singularly clear mind and sound judgment, and the world is better for his life and example and can ill spare his loss."
In 1854 Mr. Barker married Miss Nancy Arreen Record, also a na- tive of Scotland, Indiana, and daughter of Josiah Record. He was still a struggling young business man when they were married, and much of the inspiration for his subsequent achievement was derived from his wife and companion. Their lives ran side by side in mutual happiness and esteem for over half a century, enabling them to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. Both were active members of the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, and were identified with many philanthropic and charitable enterprises. Mrs. Barker survived her husband five years, dying at her home in Pasadena, January 31, 1917. In the words of a resolution adopted by the Los Angeles County Pioneers, "She had a sweet, kindly, lovable nature, helpful, hopeful, cheerful and unfailingly generous and good. Her patient and tireless activities in many diversi- fied spheres of humanitarian endeavor endeared her too all who feel compassion for human suffering." She had done much for the promo- tion of religious work, and was one of the liberal contributors to the building of the new church of the Tremont Baptist Society.
Mr. and Mrs. Barker became the parents of six children. Only two sons are now living, Charles H. and William A., who comprise the firm of Barker Brothers. Another son, O. J. Barker, was connected with the business for a number of years. Mr. and Mrs. Barker during their later years had that satisfaction which comes not only from work well done on their part, but from the increasing proofs of their son's ability as business men and citizens.
BARKER BROTHERS. Through successive years and the united labors of members of the Barker family and many capable subordinates the business of Barker Brothers in furniture and home furnishings has
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come to represent a magnificent organization for the successful selection and buying of wares and the sale and distribution of them to a public by no means confined to southern California. The firm are retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers, importers and exporters, possessing an enormous buying power and with expert services capable of reaching out to the furthest ends of the earth and procuring and assembling in the great store at Los Angeles the commodities to satisfy the most dis- criminating tastes.
With such an organization and with a retail store of such dimen- sions and facilities as that on South Broadway, Los Angeles, the task of service to the patronage having direct access to Los Angeles is comparatively simple. But a number of years ago Barker Brothers began reaching out for remote trade districts and as a result of experi- ence have instituted one of the most original plans for mail order service yet devised. Mail order sales are based not only upon the familiar descriptive catalog, but involve the use of a supplementary selection of exact photographic reproductions of articles desired by the individual purchaser in effect similar to a plan long in vogue of submitting samples of cloth, wall paper or other wares that permit the test of sampling, which is obviously out of the question with furniture, so the photog- raphic halftone is, as experience has proved, a satisfactory approxima- tion of personal service involving a staff of buyers or shoppers, main- tained by Barker Brothers, one of whom assumes all responsibility for selecting the goods of an individual order, no matter how many de- partments and different classes of commodities the order calls for.
It has been upon methods such as these, always based upon the old bed-rock principles of honest merchandising, that Barker Brothers has earned its remarkable position among the mercantile houses of the west.
As a response to the need for economic adjustment following in the train of the great war, Barker Brothers was one of the first large firms on the Pacific Coast to attempt to solve the problems of economic unrest by the institution of an advanced plan of industrial democracy, "involving the best features of the older co-operative and profit sharing plan with the new principle of sharing the responsibilities of manage- ment with the body of employes. The plan as adopted by Barker Broth- ers is closely modeled upon the "John Leitch" system, to which a great deal of publicity has been given in recent months and which has been adopted with more or less modification by scores of extensive concerns in the east.
Since the beginning of 1920 the government of Barker Brothers, involving their thirteen hundred employes, has been subject to what is known as Barker Brothers Congress, the plan of which is modeled largely upon the national system of government, involving a president, cabinet, senate and legislature. The chief features of the plan and the underly- ing purpose are well expressed in the preamble to the constitution :
"It is the desire of the members of Barker Brothers Organization, which includes every employe, that a plan be formulated whereby every- body connected with Barker Brothers shall have a part through their representatives in matters in which they are interested as employes. which shall improve the general conduct and welfare of our stores. factories, warehouses and all activities operated by Barker Brothers.
"It is suggested that a permanent organization to be known as Barker Brothers Congress shall be created-to consist of a designated
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number of representatives of the employes and representatives of the management ; both sides to have equal representation.
"The employes' representatives shall be elected by the employes and the management's representatives shall be appointed by the president of the company from company officials, department heads, foremen and sub-foremen; therefore, in order to provide a simple, democratic and effective medium for the promotion of the mutual interest and well being of all the members of Barker Brothers' Organization, the man- agement and the employes of Barker Brothers, Inc., do hereby create the Barker Brothers Congress."
Students of modern problems in our social and industrial life will follow closely the results of the Barker Brothers' Congress. On the financial side the program provides for a fifty-fifty division of increased profits, taking the business of the year 1919 as a base, equally between the management and the body of employes. However, the main inter- est in the plan will be the answer to the question, how far the harmony of working relations and increased efficiency on the part of all con- cerned will be promoted by the system of representation in which each employe has an individual voice in the collective management.
CHARLES HORACE BARKER, one of the sons of the late O. T. Barker, early became identified with his father's business as a merchant at Los Angeles, and for many years has been an active executive in the firm of Barker Brothers, of which he is now vice president.
He was born at Owensburg, Indiana, June 27, 1860, lived in In- diana and attended public schools to the age of twelve, and for the next eight years lived with the family at Colorado Springs, where he attended high school. His higher education was acquired in William Jewell College at Liberty, Missouri, and the University of California at Berke- ley. In addition to his executive post with Barker Brothers he was a director of the McClellan Manufacturing Company. At one time he was also interested in the cultivation of a sugar plantation in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
ยท Mr. Barker is a member of the First Baptist Church of Pasadena, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, Merchants and Manufacturers Association and City Club of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles County Pioneers.
Mr. Barker married in 1883 Nellie P., daughter of A. W. and De- borah Palmer, from which union were born two sons, Clarence A. and Erle P., both of whom are in positions of trust in the Barker Brothers' organization. The junior Barkers are all members of the Athletic Club. They constitute the third generation in the firm and are making good.
WILLIAM ALFRED BARKER, who is president of Barker Brothers, In- corporated, has been one of the most conspicuous business men and mer- chants on the Pacific Coast for thirty years. Many of the progressive features which distinguish the house of Barker Brothers, as described elsewhere, are the direct product of Mr. Barker's study and experience.
He was born at Owensburg, Indiana, March 11, 1864, son of the late O. T. Barker, of Los Angeles. Most of his education was acquired in the public schools of Colorado, and in 1880 he was appointed from that state to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He had nearly completed his studies when in 1883 Congress because of a surplus of naval officers limited the classes to ten men only, and Mr. Barker was one of the cadets who resigned.
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He then joined the family at Los Angeles, and for a time worked in his father's furniture business and later became one of the part- ners of O. T. Barker & Sons. In 1887 he became a general salesman for the Milwaukee Furniture Company, and in 1890 organized the firm of Bailey & Barker Brothers. After a year, when Bailey retired, the business was continued as Barker Brothers, W. A. Barker being secre- tary and treasurer until 1906.
One of the most ambitious undertakings on the Pacific Coast, and one that attracted much attention in the public press for several years, was the Pacific Purchasing Company, organized by W. A. Barker in 1906. This company owned seven wholesale and retail furniture stores, and its business attained such tremendous volume that in 1908 it came under the consideration of the Federal authorities, who at that time were engaged in one of the periodic campaigns to enforce anti-trust leg- islation. In the trial of the Pacific Purchasing Company is one of the chapters in the history of anti-trust agitation, and when the Federal courts decided that the business involved a monopoly in restraint of trade, Mr. Barker, then president, bowed to the decree of the court and dis- solved the company.
Since that time Mr. Barker has given his almost undivided atten- tion to the business of Barker Brothers, Incorporated, and since 1910 has been its president. He is also a director of the Merchants National Bank and is financially interested in mining and oil enterprises. Prior to 1907 Mr. Barker was also an interested and public spirited figure in local politics, though primarily as a means of promoting the progress of his city.
He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Merchants and Manufacturers Association, California and Los Angeles Athletic and Los Angeles Country Clubs. August 19, 1887, he married Pauline Burman. They have one son, Lawrence.
O. J. BARKER, who died in 1907, was a son of the pioneer Los Angeles merchant O. T. Barker, and for many years one of the active partners in the firm of Barker Brothers.
He was the oldest of the sons of O. T. Barker, was born in In- diana, spent his early life in that state and in Colorado, and came to Los Angeles with the family in October, 1880. He was a member of the old firm of O. T. Barker & Sons, later of Barker Brothers, and he supplied much of the genius of this organization in extending its pur- chasing organization. For several years he was also associated with his brothers, C. H. and W. A. Barker, in the Pacific Purchasing Com- pany, and at that time he was credited with personal responsibility for the largest purchasing power exercised in the furniture business in the United States.
For many years Mr. Barker and family lived in Pasadena, and at his death he was survived by his widow, and a daughter, Miss Arieen Barker.
JEANIE CULBERTSON MACPHERSON, whose personal part, scenarios and direction has contributed to make her one of the foremost figures in movie art, was born in Boston. Her father was a Highland Scot, descended from the Red Macphersons, the giant race of Scotland. Her grandfather brought his entire household, including servants, tutors and his own Presbyterian minister, from Scotland. Jeanie Macpherson's earliest recollections are of sitting on a high stool and answering her
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catechism. Her mother's name was E. Claire Tomlinson, daughter of S. J. Tomlinson, who at one time owned and published the Detroit Evening Journal. This is a branch of the Tomlinsons of Tomlinson Hall, Eng- land. Her mother was also of French and Spanish extraction, a direct descendant of the "Man of the Iron Mask." Miss Macpherson's uncle is G. Ashley Tomlinson of Duluth, Minnesota, and Washington, who during the war was a dollar-a-year man and served under .Mr. McAdoo as director general of the country's inland waterways.
Jeanie Macpherson received her education entirely in Paris at the school for girls of Mlle. Defacques. Mark Twain's daughter was the first American girl educated there, and she was the second. She was typically American, a ringleader among her playmates, and through her leadership the sport of hoop rolling was abandoned in favor of more strenuous games. Miss Macpherson finished her education in the noted Kenwood Institute, Chicago.
From both sides of the house she inherited literary talent, and as a girl wrote little French stories and poems. Her first attraction was for the legitimate stage and she appeared in stage productions with Forbes- Robertson and under Henry B. Harris in Edgar Selwyn's tour with "Strongheart." She also played the Spanish part of Tita with James T. Powers in "Havana," which ran for a year on Broadway.
When the cinema first furnished a real medium for theatrical tal- ents, Miss Macpherson was strongly impressed by the idea. Her con- version she sums up briefly as "I got the movies, they didn't get me." Her first trial was with D. W. Griffith in the Biograph Company, working from bits to leads, and played with Mr. Griffith in "Spanish Gypsy,' "Madame Rex," "Out of the Shadows" and others. Next she joined the Edison Company, working under the direction of Oscar Apfel, and came West to join the Universal and have an opportunity to do sea and mountain stories. Such scenarios were then hard to find and she began contriving her own. Gradually other directors naturally began to ask for stories, and since then her time has been pretty well divided be- tween writing and directing. One of her earliest screen stories was "The Tarantula," in which she developed and starred in the unusual character of a woman whose nature was half spider and half woman. In Jack London's "Sea Wolf" Miss Macpherson played the leading female role.
For some time she has been the feature writer and personal assistant to Cecil B. de Mille, director general of the Famous Players-Lasky Cor- poration. She was author of the scenarios for Mr. de Mille's production of "The Cheat," "Joan, the Woman," "The Devil-Stone" and "The Woman God Forgot," in which Geraldine Farrar starred; "A Romance of the Redwoods" and "The Little American," starring Mary Pickford ; also "Old Wives for New," "Don't Change Your Husband" and "Male and Female."
The normal expression of Miss Macpherson's life is work and activity. Giving eighteen hours a day to some task is nothing unusual for her. She has a slight, girlish figure, constantly animated, and for all her nervous energy has a marvelous poise. Her chief recreations are flying and dancing. She flies a Canadian Curtiss government model aeroplane, "O. X. 5" motor, and finds her greatest relaxation in the air. She is the only woman who has ever flown an aeroplane for Lieutenant Locklear while he was stunting on the wings. "Tell them all," he said, "that you are the only girl I have ever allowed to touch the 'controls' while I was stunting."
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She possesses a keen sense of balance and rhythm, faculties exem- plified in all her work and play, whether dancing, writing or flying. She is a stockholder in the Mercury Aviation Company. No doubt this con- tinuous work and experience is responsible for Miss Macpherson's con- tinued freshness of attitude. She seems to renew her vitality every day, and unlike so many literary producers, the element of staleness has marred none of her work.
WILLIAM DEXTER CURTIS is one of the veteran advertising men of the Pacific Coast. The Curtis-Newhall Advertising Agency has just rounded out a quarter of a century of successful work at Los Angeles. When the tremendous value of advertising as a means of promoting the resources of California is considered, the individual experience of Mr. Curtis affords some illuminating historical data.
He established his general advertising agency at Los Angeles in 1895. From the beginning he made his service not only local but national. So far as known the first advertisement from California that appeared in a national magazine was a transaction of the Curtis agency. This was an inconspicuous announcement, aggregating five agate lines in the No- vember issue of 1896 of the Ladies Home Journal. The next adver- tisement, ten agate lines, appeared in September, 1897, in the same jour- nal, being followed by fourteen agate lines in December of the same year.
At the present time there is hardly an issue of leading magazines and other periodicals but carries much space devoted to California products or institutions. An interesting index to this class of business is found in the office records of Mr. Curtis. During 1899 the estimated eastern national advertising placed by him amounted to fifteen hundred dollars. The first six months of 1900 it was $12,268.60, and the second six months of that year $5,644.44, giving a total for the year of $17,- 913.04. In the first six months of 1901 the total was $20,977.99, and for the second half of that year $11,377.81, or a total of $32,355.80. It is therefore possible to consider the history of California national adver- tising as covering a period of a little more than twenty years.
Mr. Curtis has been responsible for much of the original direc- tion taken by California advertising. Of special interest in this connec- tion was Mr. Curtis' address before the twenty-eighth annual conven- tion of the California Fruit Growers' Association on May 6, 1903. The growers represented in the convention expressed grave concern over the threatened over production of oranges. As a means of equalizing the demand with production Mr. Curtis suggested a tax of one cent a box be levied among the producers for advertising purposes, but another phase of his remarks on the occasion is suggestive of his originality as an advertising expert. He said: "A special brand is very desirable. It is not at all unlikely that we shall some day see oranges advertised under a brand. It remains for some genius to evolve an inexpensive seal so that each orange as it is wrapped can be rapidly sealed by a slight hand pressure." "An extensively advertised seal brand orange that attracts much favorable attention." All of which seemed to an- ticipate the idea now in evidence in the widely advertised "Sunkist" oranges and special brands of other California products such as nuts, lima beans, raisins. While Mr. Curtis did not personally profit from the suggestion he has the satisfaction of having sown some of the early advertising seed which has later borne fruit.
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