Brent Barton

Brent Barton (born March 11, 1980) is a Democratic politician from the US state of Oregon. He was elected in 2008 to the Oregon House of Representatives, representing District 51, which encompasses parts of Clackamas County and Multnomah County, and includes all or part of the cities of Boring, Clackamas, Damascus, Estacada, and Oregon City. In the 2010 election, Barton ran unsuccessfully for the Oregon State Senate, declining to run for reelection to his House seat. In 2012, he ran again for the House, this time defeating Republican Steve Newgard with 51% of the vote.[1] He retired in 2016, and was succeeded by Mark Meek.

Brent Barton
Barton in 2009
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 40th district
In office
January 14, 2013 – January 9, 2017
Preceded byDave Hunt
Succeeded byMark Meek
Member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from the 51st district
In office
January 12, 2009 – January 10, 2011
Preceded byLinda Flores
Succeeded byPatrick Sheehan
Personal details
Born (1980-03-11) March 11, 1980
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materStanford University
University of Cambridge
Harvard Law School
ProfessionAttorney

Early life and career

Barton grew up in Oregon and attended Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in political science, and a master's degree in sociology in 2002 at Queens' College, Cambridge. His father, William A. Barton, has been considered one of the best lawyers in America in several areas of law,[2] and is known for representing a plaintiff in a high-profile case against the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland.[3]

While at Stanford, Brent served as an aide for Oregon Congresswoman Darlene Hooley. He was also a White House intern in 2000 between his sophomore and junior years.[4] Barton went on to earn a JD from Harvard Law School, then returned to Oregon where he worked as a criminal prosecutor, volunteered as a high school teacher, and served on the board of directors of the Oregon Bus Project.[5][6][7] In 2007, he was hired to the litigation department of the Portland office of the Perkins Coie law firm.[8] Brent left Perkins Coie and joined Barton Trial Attourneys in 2010, and made partner in the firm in 2016.[9]

Political career

In 2008, Barton was unopposed for the Democratic nomination for House District 51 and faced incumbent Linda Flores in the general election. During the campaign Flores accused him of exaggeration regarding his time as criminal prosecutor while at Harvard Law.[10] Barton defeated Flores 52% to 48% in the November general election to win the seat.[11]

In the 2009 session, Barton served on the Judiciary and Consumer Protection committees, and as Vice-Chair of the Business and Labor Committee.[12]

In 2010, Barton ran for the Oregon State Senate seat in District 26 vacated by retiring Senator Rick Metsger, but lost to Republican candidate Chuck Thomsen 47% to 53%.[13]

Barton ran for a House seat again in 2012; he was again unopposed for the Democratic nomination for House District 40, and defeated Republican Steve Newgard in the general election.

References
  1. "2012 Election Results". The Oregonian.
  2. William Barton. Best Lawyers. Retrieved on May 1, 2007.
  3. Green, Ashbel. 85 plaintiffs seek federal trial against archdiocese. The Oregonian, April 18, 2006.
  4. Weiser, Carl (August 16, 2000). "Reporter's Notebook". Statesman Journal. pp. 2A.
  5. "Brent Barton". Project VoteSmart. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  6. "Brent Barton". Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  7. "Bus Project » People". Archived from the original on March 30, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-09.
  8. Mitchner, Ted (February 19, 2007). "People Associations and Nonprofits". The Oregonian.
  9. "The Team | Barton Trial Attorneys | Oregon Trial Lawyers".
  10. Har, Janie (October 26, 2008). "Blue tide could swamp GOP Enough seats are up for grabs to give Democrats a supermajority". The Oregonian.
  11. "Oregon Legislature Results". OregonLive.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  12. Legislative website Archived May 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  13. "Oregon State Senate Districts 16-26 - Election Results". Archived from the original on November 6, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-13.
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