Ma Barker

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Read Next

Bonnie Parker mockingly points shotgun at Clyde Barrow. American bank robbers and lovers Clyde Barrow (1909 - 1934) and Bonnie Parker (1911 -1934), popularly known as Bonnie and Clyde, circa 1933. criminal, thief, robbery team

7 Notorious Women Criminals

The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.

14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered

Bar graph of the United States Death Toll during major events. Infogram chart.

U.S. Death Toll During Major Events

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

Discover

The impeachment trial of Pres. Andrew Johnson, illustration from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, March 28, 1868.

What If the President Is Impeached?

Coriander leaves, fresh green cilantro on wooden background, herbs

Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?

The Prado Museum facade at the Diego Velaszquez memorial. Established in 1819, the museum is considered the best collection of Spanish art and one of the world's finest collections of European art. Madrid, Spain

20 Paintings You Have to Visit at the Museo del Prado in Madrid

Four year old boy with grandfather and father lighting Hanukkah menorah. Photo taken on: December 21st, 2009

Which Is Correct: Hanukkah or Chanukah?

Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician and autodidact.

6 Interesting Facts about Srinivasa Ramanujan

The Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863. (Civil War, Pennsylvania)

9 Worst Generals in History

Facsimile of one of William Henry Ireland's forgeries, a primitive self-portrait of William Shakespeare(tinted engraving). Published for Samuel Ireland, Norfolk Street, Strand, December 1, 1795. (W.H. Ireland, forgery)

The Time a Law Clerk Successfully Forged a New Shakespeare Play to Impress His Dad

Ma Barker

American criminal

Also known as: Arizona Donnie Barker, Arizona Donnie Clark, Kate Barker

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Dec 13, 2024 • Article History

Quick Facts

Byname of:: Arizona Donnie Barker

Also known as:: Kate Barker

Née:: Clark

Born:: 1872, near Springfield, Missouri, U.S.

Died:: January 16, 1935, near Oklawaha, Florida (aged 63)

Ma Barker (born 1872, near Springfield, Missouri, U.S.—died January 16, 1935, near Oklawaha, Florida) was the matriarch of an outlaw gang of brothers and allies engaged in kidnapping and in payroll, post-office, and bank robberies in the 1920s and ’30s. The activities of the gang, which included her sons the “Bloody Barkers”—Herman (1894–1927), Arthur, known as “Doc” (1899–1939), and Fred (1902–35)—ranged throughout the Midwestern United States from Minnesota to Texas. All met violent deaths. Ma Barker and Fred were killed at a Florida resort in a gun battle with the FBI, Arthur was killed in an attempted escape from Alcatraz, and Herman, cornered by Kansas police, shot himself. A fourth brother, Lloyd (1896–1949), a loner, spent 25 years in Leavenworth prison (1922–47) and, after release, was killed by his wife. (The father of the Barker boys, George Barker, was never a gang member and was abandoned by Ma Barker in 1927.)

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.