Barker, James L. (James Louis), 1880-1958
Dates
- Existence: 1880 - 1958
Biography
James L. Barker (1880-1958) was an academic administrator and professor in Utah.
James L. Barker was born in North Ogden on July 27, 1880. His parents were Henry and Marguerite Stalle Barker.
He graduated from the University of Utah and served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Switzerland and Germany.
On May 30, 1906, he married Kate Montgomery in the Salt Lake Temple and they immediately left for Europe where he studied in France at the Sorbonne. He studied several times in Europe at the Sorbonne and received his PhD from the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland. Later he taught two different times at the Sorbonne as visiting professor.
He was President of Weber Academy (now Weber State University) where he taught with David O. McKay. He taught at Brigham Young University and then was head of the Modern Language Department at the University of Utah for 28 years.
He presided over the Argentine Mission from 1941-44. In 1946 he was called to be mission President of the French Mission and served from 1946 until 1950, the first mission president to France after the war. He was called to open the Italian Mission in 1958, but was killed in an automobile accident on May 29, 1958 and so was unable to do so. He served on the Sunday School General Board for many years.
He was able, with help of the Vaudois Church of Italy, to extract thousands of names from their records so that temple work could be done for them.
He wrote several church books, including Protestors of Christendom. Apostasy From the Divine Church, the Melchizedek Priesthood manuals for three years and also German and French language manuals.
Citation:
Joseph Smith Papers Digital Library Collection, 2004 (Barker, James L. (James Louis), 1880-1958)Restoration of the divine church, c1960: t.p. (by James L. Barker)
UPB files, June 7, 2006 (hdg.: Barker, James L. (James Louis), 1880-1958; usage: James L. Barker)
Familysearch.org, December 17, 2013 (biography)
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
G. Oscar Russell correspondence
Collection contains two letters written by G. Oscar Russell. The first letter was written to James L. Barker; the second letter was written to John A. Widtsoe. The letters date from 1945.
Filtered By
- Subject: Discrimination in employment -- Utah X