Biography of Rep. J. Gresham Barrett

Congressman Gresham Barrett was sworn in as a member of the 108th Congress on January 4, 2003. As elected, he maintains his conservative base advocating military efforts, safe and secure U.S. borders, less tax burdens, energy independence, strong families and individual freedoms. Following the Congressional elections on November 7, 2006, Barrett was reinstated to his Congressional House seat and was sworn into the 110th Congress January 2007.

Upon graduating from The Citadel in 1983, Barrett achieved the rank of Captain and served in the U.S. Army Field Artillery until 1987. He understands first-hand the sacrifices made by military personnel and their families. During his first term in Congress, Barrett traveled to Iraq where he met with high ranking military officials on the ground - as well as soldiers from South Carolina who were serving in Kuwait, Baghdad and Mosul (view Iraq photo gallery). As U.S. military efforts move forward and promote change in the Middle East, Barrett believes that it is vital that the American people remain steadfast in their resolve to win the war. His continued belief is that we must fight the terrorists in the streets of Kabul and Baghdad or face them in the streets of Washington, D.C., Atlanta, G.A., or Columbia, S.C.

As a former small business owner, Barrett believes the current tax system is too burdensome and brings disadvantages to the business community, hurts job creation and causes undue stress to individual taxpayers. Immediately upon swearing into his second term in 2004, Barrett introduced legislation to create a bipartisan commission to develop a simple and fair tax reform proposal. He also introduced legislation to curb the growth in government spending making it difficult for Congress to increase spending in the future by re-imposing Pay-As-You-Go requirements. He recently voted in favor of legislation, signed by the President, which would extend certain tax relief provisions through 2007. Understanding that federal regulations stifle growth and enterprise, Barrett is committed to finding ways to reduce federal regulations, making them less costly and complicated for small business. Barrett believes by giving Americans more money in their wallet, our economy will continue to create more jobs and will increase citizens’ spending and purchasing power.

Barrett has taken the lead among the South Carolina delegation to bring a next generation nuclear reactor to the state of South Carolina to be a catalyst for an energy park on Savannah River Site. This progressive step would allow the public and private sectors to work together on future missions to support the 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 elected to Congress, Barrett staunchly ensures that energy policies are being pursued which promote clean, alternative energy sources like hydrogen and nuclear power.

Personal responsibility, individual freedoms and strong families are top priorities for Barrett. He believes firmly in "pro-life," and that any attempt to harm or endanger the life of an innocent child is wrong. At the start of his Congressional career in Washington, D.C., he co-sponsored legislation that the President signed into law to end ‘partial-birth abortion.’ He is a dedicated defender of our civil liberties granted by the Constitution, and is concerned by any potential infringement of our rights as well as the current trend by judges to legislate from the bench. He continues to work to promote a culture of life and to ensure that 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, the House Committee on International Relations and Ethics Committee. Prior to being elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2002, he managed his family-owned business, ‘Barrett’s Furniture,’ in Westminster, S.C. He then served three consecutive terms in the South Carolina State House of Representatives and served 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 Barrett served on the ‘Bush for President’ South Carolina State Steering Committee.

Being active in the community has always been important to Barrett. 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. Born to the late Charles G. and the late Del M. Barrett, he is a native and current resident of Westminster, South Carolina. Barrett is married to his high school sweetheart Natalie, and they are the proud parents of three wonderful children. He knows he would not be where he is today without the love and support of his family- for Barrett, family always comes first.