Biography of Congressman
J. Gresham Barrett
Gresham Barrett was sworn in as a member of the 109th Congress on January 4, 2004. Representative Barrett will continue to support the military, fight to keep our borders secure and our homeland safe, lessen the tax burden placed on all Americans, promote energy independence, strengthen families and protect individual freedom.
Supporting the military and securing the homeland are top concerns of Representative Barrett. After graduating from The Citadel in 1983, Gresham achieved the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army Field Artillery before resigning his commission in 1987. He knows first-hand the sacrifices military personnel and their families make. During his first term in Congress, Representative Barrett traveled to Iraq where he met with high ranking military officials on the ground - as well as soldiers from South Carolina serving in Kuwait, Baghdad and Mosul. He continues to believe we must fight the terrorist in the streets of Kabul and Baghdad or we will face them in the streets of Washington, DC, Atlanta, GA or Columbia, SC.
Representative Barrett believes the current system is too burdensome - that it disadvantages our business community – in turn hurting job creation, not to mention causing individual taxpayers undo stress. Immediately after being sworn to his second term, Representative Barrett introduced legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to develop a tax reform proposal for Congress that is simple, fair. Americans deserve to know that their tax dollars are being spent wisely. In fact, Gresham introduced additional legislation that would curb the growth in government spending and also make it more difficult for Congress to increase spending in the future by re-imposing Pay-As-You-Go requirements. There is no doubt Americans know better than the federal government how best to spend their money. By giving Americans more money in their wallet, our economy will continue to create more jobs, and will increase the spending and purchasing power of all citizens of this country. Additionally, Barrett continues to look for ways to reduce federal regulations, making them less costly and complicated for small business because he understands that federal regulations stifle growth and enterprise.
Rep. Barrett has taken the lead among the South Carolina delegation to bring a next generation nuclear reactor to the state of South Carolina which could be the catalyst for an energy park on Savannah River Site land and allow the public and private sectors to work together on future missions that support our national energy policy. Policies over the past several decades have prevented our nation from developing an energy policy that promotes exploration and self reliance; thus, our dependency on foreign sources of oil has continued to increase. Since coming to office Gresham Barrett has been working to ensure energy policies that promote clean, alternative energy sources like hydrogen and nuclear power are being pursued.
Personal responsibility, individual freedom and strong families have always been top priorities for Representative Barrett. There is no doubt that Barrett is firmly "pro-life." He believes any attempt to harm or endanger the life of an innocent child is wrong. While serving in the State House of South Carolina, Barrett led the fight to end the procedure commonly known as ‘partial-birth abortion’ in South Carolina. Upon arriving in Washington, DC, he co-sponsored legislation that the President signed into law to end ‘partial-birth abortion,’ but he continues to be disappointed that the courts have challenged the law. As a staunch defender of our civil liberties guaranteed under our Constitution, Barrett is concerned about any potential infringement of our rights as well as the current trend by judges to legislate from the bench. He will continue to work to promote a culture of life and ensure traditional family values, like marriage between a man and woman, are upheld in our laws.
Currently Barrett serves on the Budget Committee, the House Committee on Financial Services and the House Committee on International Relations. Prior to being elected the United States House of Representatives in 2002, Gresham ran the family-owned business, Barrett’s Furniture in Westminster, SC. He also served three consecutive terms in the South Carolina State House of Representatives. His service in the State House of Representatives included time on the Education and Public Works Committee, Labor Commerce and Industry Committee, and Rules Committee. He also served on the School Choice Ad Hoc Committee, and as Chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Growth. In addition, during the 2000 Presidential election Gresham served on the Bush for President South Carolina State Steering Committee.
Being active in his community has always been important to Gresham. Previously, he has served as President of the Westminster Rotary Club, Chairman of the Oconee County Boy Scouts, President of the Westminster Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Oconee County Red Cross, member of the Oconee Kids Do Count Board, and coach of the Barrett's Furniture Pony League baseball team.
Gresham knows he would not be where he is today without the love and support of his family and for Gresham family always comes first. Born to Del M. Barrett and the late Charles G. Barrett, Gresham is a native and current resident of Westminster, South Carolina. He is married to his high school sweetheart Natalie, and they are the proud parents of three wonderful children.
