Representative Lucien Barbour

Lucien Barbour (March 4, 1811 – July 19, 1880) was an American lawyer and politician who served one term as a U.S. representative from Indiana from 1855 to 1857. He was born in Canton, Connecticut, where he spent his early years before pursuing higher education in New England. His New England upbringing and subsequent education helped shape the legal and political career he would later build in the Midwest.

Barbour graduated from Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1837. Immediately after completing his studies, he moved west to Indiana in the same year and settled in Madison, in Jefferson County. There he began preparing for a legal career, studying law before seeking admission to the bar. In 1839 he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in Indianapolis, Indiana, which would remain his professional base for the rest of his life.

As his legal practice developed in Indianapolis, Barbour gained recognition for his work in matters involving the State of Indiana and private enterprise. He acted a number of times as an arbitrator between the State of Indiana and private corporations, a role that underscored both his legal expertise and his reputation for judgment in complex disputes. His growing prominence led to federal appointment when President James K. Polk named him United States district attorney for the district of Indiana, placing him at the center of federal legal affairs in the state. In 1852 he further contributed to Indiana’s legal framework as a member of the commission to codify the laws of Indiana, participating in the systematic organization and clarification of the state’s statutes.

Barbour’s legal and public service background provided the foundation for his entry into national politics. He was elected as an Indiana People’s Party candidate, also described as a member of the Independent Party representing Indiana, to the Thirty-fourth Congress, serving from March 4, 1855, to March 3, 1857. During this single term in the U.S. House of Representatives, he contributed to the legislative process at a time of mounting sectional tensions in the United States, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of his Indiana constituents. His service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history, just a few years before the outbreak of the Civil War. Barbour was not a candidate for renomination in 1856, and his congressional service concluded at the end of his term.

After leaving Congress, Barbour returned to his legal practice in Indianapolis. By 1860 he was affiliated with the emerging Republican Party, reflecting the broader realignment of political affiliations in the years leading up to the Civil War. Although he did not again hold national office, he remained an active figure in the legal community, continuing to practice law and to be engaged in public affairs in Indiana.

Lucien Barbour practiced law in Indianapolis until his death in that city on July 19, 1880. He was interred in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. His career spanned the formative decades of Indiana’s development and the turbulent national politics of the mid-nineteenth century, combining legal service to his state and the federal government with a brief but notable tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.