Joe Barton
Joe Linus Barton (born September 15, 1949), American politician, has been the Republican congressman representing the Texas 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1985.
Born in Waco, Texas, Barton graduated from Waco High School. Attending Texas A&M University, he recieved a BA in industrial engineering in 1972. An MS in industrial administration from Purdue University followed in 1973. Following college Barton entered private industry until 1981 when he became a White House Fellow and served under Secretary of Energy James B. Edwards. Later he began consulting for a natural gas company before being elected to Congress in 1984. He is married to Janet Sue Winslow; they have three children.
Barton won his Congressional seat in his first attempt, defeating Democrat challenger Dan Kubiak with 56% of the vote. He generally garnered a higher percentage of the vote as his career progressed, going as high as 88% of the vote in 2000 and most recently receiving 71% of the vote in 2002 against Democratic challenger Felix Alvarado, his only serious competition.
In 1993 Barton unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for the United States Senate.
Congressman Barton is the chairman of the Energy & Commerce Committee and also a member of the Science Committee.
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