Biography
A man of many talents--Advertising Executive, Religious Writer, Copy Writer and United States Congressman.The son of William Eleazer Barton and Esther Treat (Bushnell) Barton.He was Born in Robbins, Tennessee, on August 5, 1886.He married Esther Maude Randall in Oak Park on October 2,1913; they had three children: Randall, Betsey Alice, and Bruce Jr. Barton died in New York on July 5, 1967. He was buried in his adopted city.
Childhood And Education
Barton spent his childhood in rural Tennessee and Oak Park, Illinois where his father was a circuit preacher and his mother a school teacher. By age 9, he had a paper route and by 16 he was earning $600 a year selling his uncle's maple syrup.Barton received his diploma from the public high school in Oak Park and matriculated at Berea College in Kentucky in 1903.Having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa and being voted "the most likely to succeed", he graduated from Amherst College in 1907.
Early Professions
Barton had difficulties in finding a job after his graduation as the country was in a severe recession at the time. The only employment he could find was as a timekeeper in a Montana railroad camp. After a few months Barton moved to Chicago where he worked as an editor at the Home Herald, a small religious paper, and Housekeeper magazine, both of which failed. In 1912, Barton moved to New York where he became assistant sales manager at Collier's magazine. This was the turning point of his career life.
Writer
In 1914 Barton edited a magazine called Every Week, to which he contributed an uplifting, inspirational essay in each issue.
His first book, More Power to you, was published in 1917.
Advertising vs.Religion
Barton met two advertising men, Roy Durstine and Alex Osborn in 1918 and joined them to form an advertising agency the next year. Barton became the chairman of the agency. "Described as 'suave and hearty,' Barton proved to be a successful advertising man from the start." (Bruce Barton in Who is Who in America, p.27) Despite his success in advertising, Barton continued to write religious works in the 1920s. He used his talents for his religious responsibility. For instance, Barton published The Man Nobody Knows in 1925. The book was part of an attempt in the early decades of the twentieth century to bring people back into the churches and reinvigorate their religious commitment. It portrayed Jesus Christ as a salesman and an advertising man. Despite its controversial nature, the book topped the nonfiction best-seller lists and sold more than 750,000 copies for two years. In 1927, Barton sought to capitalize on the success of his earlier book by publishing The Book Nobody Knows, a story of the Bible. However, this and two later books on religious themes were notably unsuccessful. In 1928, BDO agency merged with the George Batten Company to form Batten, Barton, Durstine and Osborn (BBDO), with Barton as the chairman of the board. Facing pressures in his career as well as his marital life, Barton admitted himself into a sanitarium in1928.
In Politics
Barton went into Politics in the 1930's. He ran successfully for Congress in 1936, and for two terms he represented Manhattan's affluent "silk-stocking district." Barton was one of the first advertising professionals to apply his skills to nonprofit and political marketing. A losing campaign for a Senate seat ended Barton's political career in 1940, and he returned to BBDO as the chairman until his retirement in 1961.