Representative Levi Barber

Levi Barber (October 16, 1777 – April 23, 1833) was a surveyor, court administrator, banker, and legislator who served two non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives in the early nineteenth century. He was born in Simsbury, Connecticut, the son of David Barber and Sarah Lawrence. Little is recorded of his early youth in Connecticut, but he came of age in the post-Revolutionary period, when opportunities in the western territories drew many New Englanders westward. In this context, Barber left his native state and moved to the Northwest Territory, settling in what became Ohio, where his training and aptitude for surveying quickly brought him into public service.

After his arrival in Ohio, Barber entered the employ of the federal government as a surveyor, participating in the systematic mapping and subdivision of lands newly opened to settlement. His name appears on early federal survey records in what later became Monroe County, Ohio, and he is documented as the surveyor of Bethel Township in Miami County, Ohio, in 1802, according to original source records. On February 15, 1803, in Washington County, Ohio, he married Elizabeth Rouse of Massachusetts. The couple had at least four children: David, Elizabeth, Austin, and Levi Barber Jr. Their son Levi Jr. later became a presidential elector from Ohio in 1868, casting his ballot for Ulysses S. Grant, reflecting the family’s continued engagement in public affairs across generations.

Barber’s professional responsibilities expanded rapidly as Ohio moved from territorial status toward statehood. In November 1805 he was appointed Washington County surveyor, a position he held until July 1816, overseeing important work in land division and documentation at a time of rapid settlement. On April 1, 1807, he was commissioned receiver of the United States land office in Marietta, Ohio, where he managed federal land transactions and revenues. His growing prominence in local affairs led to his election from Washington County to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1806, marking the beginning of a long career in public office. In addition to legislative service, he was appointed clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and of the court of Washington County in 1809, positions he held until 1817, when he resigned to take his seat in Congress. He also served as a justice of the peace, performing civil marriages and handling local judicial matters, which further entrenched him in the civic life of his community.

During the War of 1812, Barber contributed to the state’s wartime administration as an aide to Governor Return J. Meigs Jr. In this capacity he assisted in coordinating Ohio’s support for the national war effort, a role that combined his administrative experience with the demands of wartime governance. His work during the conflict, together with his established record in county and state offices, strengthened his reputation as a capable public servant and helped position him for national office in the years that followed.

As a member of the Republican Party—then commonly known as the Democratic-Republican Party—representing Ohio, Barber contributed to the legislative process during two terms in the United States House of Representatives. He was elected in 1816 as a Democratic-Republican from Ohio’s 3rd congressional district to the Fifteenth Congress, serving from March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1819. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, in the aftermath of the War of 1812 and at the outset of the so‑called “Era of Good Feelings,” when questions of national expansion, internal improvements, and financial policy were prominent. He was unsuccessful in his bid for reelection in 1818. In 1819 Barber was again elected from Washington and Athens counties to the Ohio legislature and held the certificate of election, but his seat was successfully contested by Sardina Stone, who was ultimately seated. Undeterred, Barber ran again for Congress and was elected to the Seventeenth Congress, serving a second, non-consecutive term from March 4, 1821, to March 3, 1823. After that term he was again unsuccessful in his run for reelection in 1822, concluding his service in the national legislature.

In addition to his congressional and legislative work, Barber played a continuing role in the development of Ohio’s educational and financial institutions. In 1822 he was appointed a trustee of Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in the Northwest Territory, and he served in that capacity until his death, helping to guide the university through its formative years. He also became the fourth president of the Bank of Marietta, the first bank chartered in Ohio, reflecting his prominence in local economic affairs and his experience as a banker. Through these positions, Barber remained an influential figure in both the civic and economic life of southeastern Ohio long after his congressional service ended.

Levi Barber died on April 23, 1833, in Harmar, Ohio, a community that later became part of Marietta. He was interred in Harmar Cemetery. His career as a surveyor, court administrator, banker, and legislator, together with his two non-consecutive terms in the United States House of Representatives and his long service in state and local offices, placed him among the notable early public figures in Ohio’s transition from frontier territory to established state.