John+Barlow II

John Barlow was born in 1873 in Kansas to wheat farmers Bill and Mary Barlow. From an early age, John Barlow worked on his father’s wheat farm with his uncles, brother and cousins. His brother was named Roland Barlow and was born in 1868. The farm had been a part of the family since the early 1800's when Bill's grandfather Steve Barlow moved west in search of new opportunities. Upon its founding, the farm was prosperous, but as time and technology progressed, they struggled to keep up and profit dwindled.

John spent his childhood working for Bill on the farm, but as big businesses began to take an active role in farming in the West, the Barlow family struggled to compete with the new technological threat they posed. The family tried to compete by buying new technology as well, but this only put them in more debt. For this purpose at the age of 18 Roland Barlow, moved to Chicago to pursue work in a steel factory in 1886.

John Barlow tried to make ends meet for his parents, but realized that economic success was out of the picture. So following in his brother's footsteps, at the age of 15 in 1888, John Barlow moved to New York with his brother to pursue work in a Meat-Packing Plant.

On the train from Kansas to Chicago, John Barlow met future Kansas populist representative //[|William Baker]//. There, John Barlow spoke of his discontent with the lack of representation farmers were receiving in the American government. Baker informed Barlow that he was going to New York to push for a political party that would represent his exact idea.

Inspired, John Barlow continued to work in the factory for 3 years, but utilized the little free time he had by visiting the public library and reading the newspaper everyday not only learn about politics, but also follow the new party that Baker had told him about. In 1891, Barlow was fired for wanting a raise in pay, but returned to Kansas spreading populist ideals. In Kansas he explained to his fellow farmers the reasons that they were struggling and why the government was at fault. He encouraged his family to join together in Granges.

In 1892, Barlow attended one of //[|Thomas Jefferson Hudson's]//political rallies. At the rally, John Barlow saw the serious advancements the party had made since he met William Baker. John began to become involved in the Populist party and wrote for the People's Party Paper. He travelled all over the country, spreading Populist ideas and understanding the viewpoints of different Populist's who lived in different regions of the country. In the beginning of his travels, Barlow was an advocate for Black rights, feeling they shared his ideas and met with Roy West in 1893. He traveled to California in 1900 where Biata Boguslawski along with other Californian farmers observed his political rallies. In 1902, he returned to New York, where he did an expose conducted by Stanley Jacobs revealing his newfound racist attitudes. After reading the expose, [|Thomas E. Watson] asked Barlow to work on his political campaign. Barlow accepted and worked for Watson in his presidential campaigns during 1904 and 1908.

Subsequent to the campaigns, Barlow moved to Atlanta Georgia, settled down with his family and wrote for Watson's editorial, //The// //Jeffersonian.// He continued to push for an agriculturally minded government until his early death at age 54 in 1927.

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