Barber was born in 1843 in Saxtons River, Windham County, Vermont the son of Amzi Doolittle Barber, the pastor of the Congregationalist Church there. He grew up in Ohio and attended Oberlin College, graduating in 1867. He briefly considered following his father"s vocation in the ministry, but instead took a teaching position at Howard University.
He graduated from Columbian University in Washington, District of Columbia in 1877.
He laid many of the roads in Westchester County, New York and was known as "The Asphalt King". At Howard, he was "Principal of Normal and Preparatory Department" as well as Professor of Natural Philosophy and Acting Professor of Mathematics until his resignation in 1873. In 1880, Barber partnered with United States. Senator John Sherman for the purchase and sale of the "Stone" property, then on the outskirts of Washington District of Columbia This led to an interest in asphalt for paving city streets, after a government study determined it to be the best available method.
He incorporated Barber Asphalt Paving Company in 1883 to produce asphalt, and in 1887, secured a 42-year monopoly concession from the British Government for the Pitch Lake in Trinidad, the largest natural deposit of asphalt in the world.
He was also managing director of Trinidad Lake Asphalt Company, Limited, incorporated in London in 1898. Barber moved the Washington-based business to New York City, and it continued to expand, becoming, against Barber"s wishes, part of an asphalt trust.
By 1900, he had laid over 12 million square yards of Trinidad asphalt pavement in 70 American cities at a cost of $35 million. Barber retired from the business in 1901, just before the trust collapsed, but returned to the industry in 1904.
Barber also had an interest in automobile production, forming the Locomobile Company in 1898.
The company at first produced small Stanley Steamer motor cars, which they initially sold for $600, with sales peaking at 1,600 cars in 1900. Locomobile later transitioned into selling internal-combustion automobiles. He was an avid yachtsman.
The yacht had a crew of 44 and comfortably held around 12 passengers.
The United States government bought it from him for use in the First World War, and then scraped it after the war. Barber died of pneumonia in April 1909 at the age of 66 at his home "Ardsley Towers" in Ardsley-on-Hudson, New New York
At the time of his death, The New York Times estimated his wealth at "many millions.".
