The History of Turner Barker

Turner Barker, organized in 1908 by Philip F. Turner, Harlan B. Turner, Ben Barker, and Edward C. O’Brion, was actually a merger of two older agencies, Libby & Hussey, formed in 1900, and the William Allen Agency, formed in 1894. For nearly 50 years the agency was located at 40 Exchange Street, then the financial center of Maine, and now the Old Port area.

In 1934, ownership of the agency passed to Herman B. Libby, by profession an architect and twice mayor of Portland, and Charles D. Boyd, who had been assistant treasurer of the Casco Mercantile Trust Company until the bank holiday of 1933. In 1955, O. William Robertson left the Travelers Insurance Company to join Libby and Boyd as a partner. In 1961, following Boyd’s death and Libby’s retirement, William Luce came from Maine Bonding and Casualty Company and with Robertson formed Turner Barker & Co., Inc.

In late 1985, Doug Allen and Brad Kirkpatrick purchased the agency from Luce and Robertson. Doug has over 30 years experience with insurance companies and agencies and Brad has been employed by Turner Barker since 1978. In July of 2001, Turner Barker Insurance became a wholly own subsidiary of Gorham Savings Bank. In May of 2013, Gorham Savings Bank agreed to merge the agency with Clark Insurance, another long-established independent insurance agency based in Portland with additional offices in Saco, Windham and Manchester, NH. Doug Allen and Bradford Kirkpatrick continue to serve as President and Executive Vice President as they manage the daily operations of the agency.

Turner Barker has maintained steady growth and profitability for the last 26 years and has aggressive growth projections for years to come. It is these aggressive growth plans that allow Turner Barker to offer excellent opportunities to motivated insurance professionals. Today, Turner Barker offers an agency that is strong in all lines of insurance and takes pride in offering the best possible service to their clients.