The four Barber brothers built a woollen mill, foundry and sawmill in Georgetown, Ontario.

In 1888, his nephew, John Roaf Barber, upgraded the mill to use hydroelectricity power, one of the early industrial applications of electricity in Canada.

In 1871 the Liberal Party dropped Barber as their candidate in the upcoming election, due to his support for Premier J. Sandfield Macdonald's self-described "Patent Combination" government.

[2] In his stead, the party selected William Durie Lyon and the radical 'Clear Grits' platform he championed.

[3] Following the 1875 election, he was disqualified for having induced a voter to stay home,[4] and a byelection was held on November 15, 1875 which was won by William Durie Lyon.