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]
James R. Barker | |
---|---|
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Columbia University (BA) Harvard Business School (MBA) |
Occupation(s) | Chairman of Interlake Steamship Company and SeaStreak |
Known for | Co-founder of Temple, Barker & Sloane CEO of Moore-McCormack |
Biography
editBarker 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. 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.[5] In 1971, he became chairman and CEO of Moore-McCormack, becoming then the youngest CEO of a major American corporation at 35 years old.[6][7] In 1973, he led the purchase of the Pickands Mather Group.[8] Barker served in his chief executive role until 1988, when he acquired the company's cargo shipping operations.[9]
He has served as chairman of the Interlake Steamship Company since he acquired the subsidiary from McCormack in 1987.[10][9] He served as a director of Verizon and its predecessor, GTE from 1976 to 2007.[1][11] He was also a former Chairman of the National Maritime Council and a director of the American Bureau of Shipping.[12][13]
References
edit- ^ a b "Our Team". www.interlake-steamship.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ Wyman, Oliver. "A history of forward thinking and innovation". www.oliverwyman.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "Self-unloading Ore Carrier James R. Barker". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ a b 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.
- ^ Fisheries, United States Congress House Committee on Merchant Marine and (1971). Hearings.
- ^ "Seastreak Commodore - Professional Mariner". 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "Executive Changes". The New York Times. 1971-03-11. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "Maritime Reporter Magazine January 15, 1973, 22 page". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ a b "MOOREMACK JUMPS SHIP CHAIRMAN TO BUY OCEAN CARGO OPERATIONS | JOC.com". www.joc.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Verizon Shareholders Elect Directors, Ratify Auditor and Consider Other Proposals at Annual Meeting". www.verizon.com. 2001-04-25. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "National Maritime Council Elects Barker Chairman". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
- ^ "ABS Elects Eleven New Members —Five New Managers". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2022-02-05.