Background
Barton was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1795.
Barton was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1795.
Washington and Lee University.
He served the federal government as Solicitor of the United States Treasury and Chargé d"affaires in Chile. In 1821 he relocated to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he continued to practice law and became involved in the newspaper business. He apparently served in the militia, in that he was often referred to in correspondence and press accounts as "Colonel", though the exact details of his military service are not currently known.
Barton was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1825.
In 1828 Barton was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives. In 1843 he ran unsuccessfully for the Louisiana House of Representatives, and in 1844 he supported James K. Polk for President, including writing letters to the editor under the pen name John Randolph of Roanoke.
As President, Polk rewarded Barton with appointment as Solicitor of the Treasury, and he served from 1845 to 1847. Barton served as United States. Chargé d"affaires to Chile from 1847 to 1849.
Barton died of yellow fever in New Orleans on December 29, 1854.