James R. Barker (businessman)

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James R. Barker
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater Columbia University (BA)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
Occupation(s) Chairman of Interlake Steamship Company and SeaStreak
Known forCo-founder of Temple, Barker & Sloane
CEO of Moore-McCormack

James R. Barker is an American shipping businessman who is the chairman of the Interlake Steamship Company and SeaStreak. [1] He was also a management consultant who co-founded Temple, Barker & Sloane, which formed the global consulting firm Oliver Wyman. [2] He is the namesake of the lake freighter MV James R. Barker. [3]

Contents

Biography

Barker grew up spending summers with his uncle, a boat captain in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and worked on ships doing the Great Lakes trade. [4] Barker graduated from Columbia College in 1957 and became a coast guard officer. [5] He then graduated from Harvard Business School, and worked for Pickands Mather & Co., a raw materials production and shipping company. [4]

Barker later joined Harbridge House, a consulting firm as a transportation scientist. In January 1970, he formed shipping consultancy Temple, Barker & Sloane with Carl Sloane and Peter Temple and was hired by Moore-McCormack to tackle its business problems. [6] In 1971, he became chairman and CEO of Moore-McCormack, becoming then the youngest CEO of a major American corporation at 35 years old. [7] [8] In 1973, he led the purchase of the Pickands Mather Group. [9] Barker served in his chief executive role until 1988, when he acquired the company's cargo shipping operations. [10]

He has served as chairman of the Interlake Steamship Company since he acquired the subsidiary from McCormack in 1987. [11] [10] He served as a director of Verizon and its predecessor, GTE from 1976 to 2007. [1] [12] He was also a former Chairman of the National Maritime Council and a director of the American Bureau of Shipping. [13] [14]

Recognition

Barker received the Lone Sailor Award from The United States Navy Memorial in 2022. [5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Our Team". www.interlake-steamship.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  2. ↑ Wyman, Oliver. "A history of forward thinking and innovation". www.oliverwyman.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  3. ↑ "Self-unloading Ore Carrier James R. Barker". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  4. 1 2 Smith, William D. (1973-09-02). "A Cure for Mooremack - Rubbing Buddha's Belly Seems to Pay Off". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  5. 1 2 "U.S. Coast Guard Veteran and Industry Leader to Receive 2022 Lone Sailor Award". United States Navy Memorial. 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  6. ↑ Fisheries, United States Congress House Committee on Merchant Marine and (1971). Hearings.
  7. ↑ "Seastreak Commodore - Professional Mariner". 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  8. ↑ "Executive Changes". The New York Times. 1971-03-11. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  9. ↑ "Maritime Reporter Magazine January 15, 1973, 22 page". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  10. 1 2 "MOOREMACK JUMPS SHIP CHAIRMAN TO BUY OCEAN CARGO OPERATIONS | JOC.com". www.joc.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  11. ↑ "M o o r e M c C o r m a c k Resources Transfers O w n e r s h i". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  12. ↑ "Verizon Shareholders Elect Directors, Ratify Auditor and Consider Other Proposals at Annual Meeting". www.verizon.com. 2001-04-25. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  13. ↑ "National Maritime Council Elects Barker Chairman". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  14. ↑ "ABS Elects Eleven New Members —Five New Managers". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
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