About Me
Joe Barton was born on September 15, 1949 in Waco, Texas. Barton attended Texas A&M University, where he was the outstanding industrial engineering student for the Class of 1972. After earning a Masters of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University, he joined Ennis Business Forms, where he rose to the position of Assistant to the Vice President. In 1981, he was selected for the prestigious White House Fellows Program, and served as an aide to then-Energy Secretary James B. Edwards.
Congressman Joe Barton was first elected to serve the Sixth District of Texas in 1984. In 2004, he was selected by his colleagues to be the Chairman of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce – the oldest standing legislative House committee. Barton was the first Texan since former House Speaker Sam Rayburn to chair this important committee.
Barton and his wife Terri have homes in Ennis and Arlington, Texas.