Joseph Barton (New Hampshire politician)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Barton | |
|---|---|
| Member of New Hampshire House of Representatives for Grafton 1 | |
| Assumed office December 4, 2024 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph James Barton |
| Party | Republican |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Maritime Academy |
Joseph James Barton is an American politician and conservative activist from New Hampshire. He is a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives and has represented the Grafton 1st district since 2024.[1] He was the board chairman of Project Veritas. He is a member of the Republican party.
Barton attended the Massachusetts Maritime Academy[2] and was a member of its class of 2002.[3][4]
Career
Barton worked as an engineer at a nuclear power plant before he worked for the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.[2]
Jack Kimball, the former New Hampshire Republican party chairman, referred to Barton as "my black ops" guy in 2011.[5]
Barton was the chairman of the Newmarket Republican Committee[6] and in 2017 he was suspended by the New Hampshire Republican party for advocating against Kelly Ayotte as a candidate to the United States Senate.[7]
A settlement was reached after Barton filed a lawsuit against the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Local 4.[8]
As the board chairman of Project Veritas, Barton acknowledged in an August 18, 2023, meeting that an audit of the organization may force it to be shut down or could prompt an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service.[9][10][11]
In 2025, Barton sponsored a resolution asking the United States Congress to move the border of New Hampshire northward to make Badger's Island, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, the Piscataqua River, Portsmouth Harbor, and Seavey's Island part of New Hampshire.[12][13][14]
In March 2025, Barton was removed from the House Legislative Administration Committee after he voted with Democrats on a motion to allow an amendment to a bill to create a study committee to examine ways to improve the usefulness of fiscal notes to be considered.[15]
Barton is the prime sponsor of a bill that would permit one-party consent recordings of conversations and telephone calls, which would make New Hampshire's telephone call recording laws the same as Maine and the majority of the other states in the United States. He was reported to say that secret audio or video recording of politicians would be beneficial to the public and what the bill he proposed "is really about is bringing accountability and transparency through the use of recording measures".[16]
Personal life
Barton claims to speak several languages, including French, and hold a private pilot certificate. He can play the piano and the bagpipe.[2] He has participated in the New Hampshire Highland Games.[2][17]
Legal issues
Barton was convicted of resisting arrest for an incident that occurred on November 4, 2014, when he was a vote challenger at a polling place.[6][18] He was also charged with disorderly conduct and simple assault. Vote challengers in New Hampshire are required to make any complaints about a voter's eligibility in writing, but Barton was accused of making verbal complaints concerning the eligibility of voters.[5]
In 2015, Barton was arrested and charged for falsifying a letter from the New Hampshire Republican party chairwoman that authorized him to be a vote challenger at a polling place.[6]
The New Hampshire Executive Council pardoned Barton in 2018 after a 3–2 vote along party lines for his conviction of resisting arrest.[19][20]
References
- ↑ "Representative Joseph Barton (R) Grafton – District 1". New Hampshire House of Representatives.
- 1 2 3 4 "Joseph Barton, State Rep Candidate for Grafton 1". Grafton County Republican Committee.
- ↑ Muster 2001: Massachusetts Maritime Academy Yearbook. 2001. p. 82.
- ↑ Muster 2002: Massachusetts Maritime Academy Yearbook. 2002. p. 3.
- 1 2 DiStaso, John (July 31, 2015). "Former Newmarket GOP chair charged with falsifying vote challenge letter". WMUR-TV.
- 1 2 3 Barndollar, Hadley (April 10, 2018). "Supreme Court upholds Newmarket polls kerfuffle conviction". The Portsmouth Herald.
- ↑ Tuohy, Dan (January 23, 2017). "NHGOP suspends committe member Barton, claims he advocated against Ayotte for Senate". New Hampshire Union Leader.
- ↑ "In the matter of: Joseph J. Barton, Complainant, v. IFPTE Local 4, Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Respondent" (PDF). United States Department of Labor.
- ↑ Sommer, Will (September 6, 2023). "Project Veritas audit accuses 'untouchable' founder of improper spending". The Washington Post.
- ↑ Sommer, Will (September 6, 2023). "Project Veritas audit accuses 'untouchable' founder of improper spending". Yahoo. The Washington Post.
- ↑ Stieb, Matt (September 6, 2023). "Project Veritas Has James O'Keefe's Receipts on Wild Spending". New York Magazine.
- ↑ Lenahan, Ian (January 29, 2025). "Lawmakers want Trump to rule Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in NH, not Maine". The Portsmouth Herald.
- ↑ Cormier, Ron (February 1, 2025). "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard boundary dispute reignites as New Hampshire makes another push". NewsCenterMaine.
- ↑ Singer, Stephen (February 2, 2025). "Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is in Maine. NH lawmakers want to change that". New Hampshire Union Leader.
- ↑ Tracy, Paula (March 24, 2025). "Another Republican Removed from NH House Committee for Voting with Democrats". InDepthNH. Retrieved May 27, 2025.
- ↑ Bookman, Todd (January 14, 2026). "Lawmaker with ties to Project Veritas wants to allow secret recording in NH". New Hampshire Public Radio.
- ↑ "Joe Barton". Project Veritas Exposed.
- ↑ "Case No. 2017-0321, State of New Hampshire v. Joseph Barton" (PDF). New Hampshire Judicial Branch.
- ↑ "N.H. Executive Council Approves Pardon for Man Arrested at Polling Place". New Hampshire Public Radio. December 20, 2018.
- ↑ "Man's polling place resisting arrest conviction pardoned". AP News. December 20, 2018.