William Barnes Jr.

{{Short description|American journalist and politician (1866–1930)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = William Barnes Jr.

|image = REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE. BARNES, WILLIAM, JR., OF NEW YORK LCCN2016863913 (cropped).jpg

|caption = Harris & Ewing photo of Barnes as a member of the Republican National Committee in 1912

|office1 = Chairman of the New York Republican State Committee

|term_start1 = January 21, 1911

|term_end1 = September 30, 1914

|preceded1 = Ezra P. Prentice

|succeeded1 = Frederick C. Tanner

|office2 = Member of the Republican National Committee from New York

|term_start2 = June 24, 1912

|term_end2 = June 9, 1916

|preceded2 = William L. Ward

|succeeded2 = Herbert Parsons

|office3 = U.S. Surveyor of Customs for the Port of Albany

|term_start3 = January 31, 1899

|term_end3 = February 28, 1911

|preceded3 = John P. Masterson

|succeeded3 = Luther C. Warner

|birth_date = {{Birth date |1866|11|17}}

|birth_place = Albany, New York, US

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1930|06|25|1866|11|17}}

|death_place = Armonk, New York, US

|resting_place = Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, New York

|party = Republican

|education = Harvard University

|profession = Newspaper publisher

|parents = William Barnes Sr.
Emily Peck Weed

|spouse = Grace Davis, m. 1888–1922 (divorced)
Maude (Fiero) Battershall, m. 1923–1929 (her death)

|relations = Thurlow Weed (grandfather)
Catherine Weed Barnes (sister)

|children = 2

}}

William Barnes Jr. (November 17, 1866 – June 25, 1930) was an American journalist and politician. The longtime owner and publisher of the Albany Evening Journal, Barnes was most notable as a major behind the scenes player in state and U.S. politics as a leader of New York's Republican Party.

Barnes was born in Albany, New York, and graduated from The Albany Academy in 1884 and Harvard University in 1888. He worked briefly as a newspaper reporter for the Albany Evening Journal before purchasing the Albany Morning Express, of which he was publisher and editor. In 1889 he purchased the Evening Journal, of which he was also editor and publisher. Barnes became active in New York politics as a leader of the Republican Party. In 1891, he became head of the party in both the city and in Albany County. In 1899, Republican nominee James H. Blessing won the election for mayor. This victory brought about Republican dominance in Albany, and Barnes went on to serve as a member of the New York Republican State Committee from 1892 to 1914, and the committee's chairman from 1911 to 1914. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1904, 1908, and 1912, and a member of the Republican National Committee from 1912 to 1916. As an ally of Thomas C. Platt, Barnes became a major figure in national Republican politics; his support for successive Republican presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft led to his appointment as the U.S. Surveyor of Customs for the Port of Albany, a lucrative position he held from 1899 to 1911. In 1915, he was a delegate to the New York state constitutional convention.

In 1912, Barnes was a key player in obtaining the Republican presidential nomination for the incumbent Taft; in response, Roosevelt ran as the candidate of the Progressive Party, and the split among Republicans helped elect the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson. In a July 1914 editorial, Roosevelt accused Barnes of being a corrupt party boss who conspired with the Democratic Tammany Hall leader Charles Francis Murphy to block progressive reforms in New York. Barnes sued Roosevelt for libel, and the 1915 trial ended with a verdict in favor of Roosevelt. For several years afterwards, Barnes lived in New York City while maintaining his voting residence in Albany.

In 1921, Democrat William Stormont Hackett won the mayor's office, ending Barnes' dominance over Albany politics and ushering in more than 50 years of control by the Democratic organization of Daniel P. O'Connell. In 1925, Barnes sold the Evening Journal to Stephen Carlton Clark, after which he retired and lived in Armonk. He died at his home in Armonk on June 25, 1930, and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery.

Early life

William Barnes was born in Albany, New York on November 17, 1866,{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} the son of William Barnes Sr. (1824–1913) and Emily Peck Weed (1827–1889).{{sfn|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"|page=20}} His father was an attorney who helped organize the first New York State convention of the new Republican Party in 1854, and served as state Insurance Commissioner from 1860 to 1870, the first person to hold the position after it was created.{{sfn|"William Barnes Sr., Dead"|p=5}} Emily Weed was the daughter of Thurlow Weed, a prominent newspaper publisher and the longtime head of New York State's Whig Party, who was also a founder of the Republican Party.{{sfn|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"|p=20}} The younger Barnes was an 1884 graduate of The Albany Academy,{{sfn|The Men of New York|page=17}} and an 1888 graduate of Harvard University.{{sfn|New York State Men|page=36}}

Early career

File:William Barnes Jr (Albany Evening Journal publisher) 2.jpg

Barnes worked briefly as a newspaper reporter for the Albany Evening Journal before purchasing the Albany Morning Express, of which he was publisher and editor.{{sfn|New York State Men|page=36}} In 1889, he purchased the Evening Journal, of which he was also editor and publisher.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}}{{sfn|New York State Men|page=36}} During years when Republicans were in control of New York state's government, Barnes' publishing business was frequently selected to print official works, including the reports of government agencies and state government directories.{{sfn|"Seeking the State Printing"|page=15}}

In addition to his newspaper career, Barnes became active in New York politics as a leader of the Republican Party.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In 1891, he became head of the party in both the city and in Albany County.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In 1899, the mayoral victory of James H. Blessing brought about over 20 years of Republican dominance in Albany, and Barnes went on to serve as a member of the New York Republican State Committee from 1892 to 1914.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}}{{efn|In 1894, Republican Oren Elbridge Wilson won the mayor's office, but his victory was made possible by a coalition of Democrats and anti-Barnes Republicans.}}

Continued career

File:William Barnes Jr (Albany Evening Journal publisher).jpg

As an ally of Thomas C. Platt, Barnes became a major figure in Republican politics at the national level, and supported successive Republican presidents William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and William Howard Taft.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} His prominence led to his appointment as the U.S. Surveyor of Customs for the Port of Albany, a lucrative position Barnes held from 1899 to 1911.{{sfn|Congressional Record (1899)|page=704}}{{sfn|Congressional Record (1911)|pages=2141, 2505}}

Barnes was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1904, 1908, and 1912, and chairman of the state Republican Committee from 1911 to 1914.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} From 1912 to 1916, Barnes was a member of the Republican National Committee.{{sfn|"Former G.O.P. Chief is Dead"}} In 1915, he was a delegate to the New York state constitutional convention.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}}

Incumbent President Taft was a candidate for reelection in 1912.{{sfn|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"|p=20}} Former President Roosevelt, an advocate for a more active presidency and more liberal policies than Taft, opposed him for the Republican nomination.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} Barnes was a leader of the party's conservative wing, and was a key player in obtaining the nomination for Taft.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In response, Roosevelt's supporters left the party, and Roosevelt ran as the candidate of the newly-organized Progressive Party.{{sfn|"Roosevelt, Beaten, to Bolt Today"}} The Republican Party split between conservative Taft supporters and Progressive followers of Roosevelt, which enabled the election of the Democratic nominee, Woodrow Wilson.{{sfn|The Gilded Age & Progressive Era|page=387}}

Later career

In a July 1914 editorial, Roosevelt accused Barnes of being a corrupt party boss who conspired with Charles Francis Murphy, the leader of the Democratic Tammany Hall organization, to block progressive reforms in New York.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In response, Barnes sued Roosevelt for libel.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} Roosevelt argued that he was not liable because the charges he made were true, and the 1915 trial ended with a verdict in Roosevelt's favor.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}}

For several years after the trial, Barnes lived in New York City while maintaining his voting residence in Albany, and he began to be opposed within the city and county Republican Parties.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In his later years, his conservatism manifested itself as opposition to the selection of nominees for office by direct primary election, women's suffrage, and organized labor.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} In 1921, the Democratic organization led by Daniel P. O'Connell nominated William Stormont Hackett for mayor.{{sfn|The Encyclopedia of New York State|page=151}} Hackett won the election, defeating Republican William Van Rensselaer Erving, a Barnes loyalist who had served as the city's public safety commissioner and won the Republican nomination by defeating an anti-Barnes insurgency.{{sfn|Machine Politics: A Study of Albany's O'Connells|pages=13, 40–43}} Hackett's win ended Barnes' dominance over Albany city and county politics and ushered in more than 50 years of control by O'Connell's organization.{{sfn|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"|page=20}}

Retirement and death

In 1925, Barnes sold the Evening Journal to Stephen Carlton Clark, after which he retired and lived in Armonk.{{sfn|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"|page=20}} He died at his home in Armonk on June 25, 1930,{{sfn|"Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies"|page=20}} and was buried at Albany Rural Cemetery, Section 109, Lot 3.{{sfn|"Albany Rural Cemetery Burial Cards"}}

Family

On June 12, 1888, Barnes married Grace Davis of Cincinnati, Ohio.{{sfn|"Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies"|page=20}} Their children included sons Thurlow Weed Barnes (1889–1976) and Landon Barnes (1894–1964).{{sfn|"Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies"|page=20}} William and Grace Barnes divorced in 1922, and in 1923 he married Maude (Fiero) Battershall, who died in 1929.{{sfn|"Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies"|page=20}}

Barnes' siblings included Thurlow Weed Barnes (1853–1918), an 1876 Harvard graduate who was active in New York's Republican Party and worked for the Albany Evening Journal.{{sfn|"Thurlow Barnes, Capitalist, Dead"|page=9}} He authored a biography of Thurlow Weed, and later became a world traveler and international businessman with railroad and mining interests primarily in China.{{sfn|"Thurlow Barnes, Capitalist, Dead"|page=9}} In addition, Barnes's sister Catherine Weed Barnes was a well-known photographer.{{sfn|Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting}}

Notes

References

Sources

=Books=

{{cite book |last=Eisenstadt |first=Peter R. (Syracuse University Press) |date=2005 |title=The Encyclopedia of New York State |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tmHEm5ohoCUC&pg=PA151 |location=Binghamton, NY |publisher=Maple-Vail Book Manufacturing |isbn=978-0-8156-0808-0 |ref={{sfnRef|The Encyclopedia of New York State}}}}
{{cite book |last=Hills |first=Frederick Simon. |date=1910 |title=New York State Men: Biographic Studies and Character Portraits |volume=1 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx2x2l;view=1up;seq=40;size=150 |location=Albany, NY |publisher=The Argus Company |ref={{sfnRef|New York State Men}}}}
{{cite book |last=New York State Bar Association |date=1913 |title=Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xuI8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA713 |location=Albany, NY |publisher=The Argus Company |pages=713–716 |via=Google Books |ref={{sfnRef|Proceedings of the Thirty-Sixth Annual Meeting}}}}
{{cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Elisabeth Israels |last2=Smith |first2=Karen Manners |date=2006 |title=The Gilded Age & Progressive Era: A Student Companion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pDhUXlMt6pkC&pg=PA387 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-515670-6 |ref={{sfnRef|The Gilded Age & Progressive Era}}}}
{{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Frank S. |date=1977 |title=Machine Politics: A Study of Albany's O'Connells |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9nNevZeWHDQC&pg=PA41 |location=New Brunswick, NJ |publisher=Transaction Books |isbn=978-0-87855-147-7 |ref={{sfnRef|Machine Politics: A Study of Albany's O'Connells}}}}
{{cite book |last=United States Senate |date=1899 |title=Congressional Record (1899)|volume=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f3O24TrN4AEC&q=%22william+barnes%22 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |ref={{sfnRef|Congressional Record (1899)}}}}
{{cite book |last=United States Senate |date=1911 |title=Congressional Record (1911)|volume=46, Part 3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T4KaUfJMReUC&q=%22+Luther+C.+Warner%2C+of+New+York%2C+to+be+surveyor+of+customs.+for.+the+port+of+Albany%22 |location=Washington, DC |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |ref={{sfnRef|Congressional Record (1911)}}}}
{{cite book |date=1898 |title=The Men of New York: A Collection of Biographies and Portraits of Citizens of the Empire State Prominent in Business, Professional, Social, and Political Life During the Last Decade of the Nineteenth Century |volume=II |url=https://archive.org/stream/menofnewyorkcoll02buff#page/n91/mode/2up/ |location=Buffalo, NY |publisher=G. E. Matthews & Company |ref={{sfnRef|The Men of New York}}}}

=Newspapers=

{{cite news |date=December 5, 1894 |title=Seeking the State Printing |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1894/12/05/106842589.pdf |work=the New York Times |location=New York, NY |ref={{sfnRef|"Seeking the State Printing"}}}}
{{cite news |date=June 20, 1912 |title=Roosevelt, Beaten, to Bolt Today; Gives the Word in Early Morning; Taft's Nomination Seems Assured |url=https://partners.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/120620convention-gop-ra.html |work=The New York Times |location=New York, NY |ref={{sfnRef|"Roosevelt, Beaten, to Bolt Today"}}}}
{{cite news |date=February 24, 1913 |title=William Barnes, Sr., Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-brooklyn-daily-eagle-barnes/133775310/ |work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle |location=Brooklyn, NY |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"William Barnes Sr., Dead"}}}}
{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=June 26, 1930 |title=Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-and-sun-bulletin-passes/133775182/ |work=Binghamton Press |location=Binghamton, NY |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Barnes, State G.O.P. Leader, Dies"}}}}
{{cite news |date=June 28, 1918 |title=Thurlow Barnes, Capitalist, Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sun-capitalist/133775094/ |work=The Sun |location=New York, NY |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Thurlow Barnes, Capitalist, Dead"}}}}
{{cite news |date=June 26, 1930 |title=Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/press-and-sun-bulletin-machine/133775010/ |work=Binghamton Press |location=Binghamton, NY |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnRef|"Barnes Genius At Setting up Political Machine"}}}}
{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=June 26, 1930 |title=Former G.O.P. Chief is Dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/47344293/obituary-for-williams-barnes-aged-64/ |work=The Berkshire Eagle |location=Pittsfield, MA |page=24 |via=Newspapers.com |ref={{sfnref|"Former G.O.P. Chief is Dead"}}}}

=Internet=

{{cite web |url=https://www.ancestry.com/ |title=Albany Rural Cemetery Burial Cards, 1791-2011, Entry for William Barnes |last=Albany Rural Cemetery (Menands, NY) |date=June 27, 1930 |website=Ancestry.com |publisher=Ancestry.com, LLC |location=Provo, UT |access-date=March 19, 2018 |ref={{sfnRef|"Albany Rural Cemetery Burial Cards"}}}}

External links

{{Commons category-inline|William Barnes Jr.}}
[http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/barnes.html William Barnes Jr.] at The Political Graveyard

Category:1866 births

Category:1930 deaths

Category:Politicians from Albany, New York

Category:Harvard University alumni

Category:New York (state) Republicans

Category:Republican National Committee members

Category:19th-century American newspaper publishers (people)

Category:20th-century American newspaper publishers (people)

Category:Burials at Albany Rural Cemetery

Category:The Albany Academy alumni