Biography of Hon. George Barton of Braceville, Illinois

Barton, Hon. George – An alert, progressive and enterprising citizen, alive to the wants and needs of his community, Mayor George Barton, of Braceville, is but vindicating the confidence placed in him when he was elected to the highest municipal office by his fellow townsmen. For the past decade he has been a resident of this city, and has become widely and favorably known in financial circles of Grundy County as cashier of the People’s Bank. Like many of the successful men of the county, Mr. Barton is a product of the farm, having been born on his father’s homestead in the vicinity of Keithsburg, Mercer County, Ill., in 1873.

George Barton commenced his educational training in the country schools of Grundy County, and was nine years of age when taken to Gardner, Grundy County, and after this he attended the Gardner schools and was graduated in 1891 from the Gardner high school. Succeeding this he adopted the vocation of educator, but after five months of teaching in the country schools gave up that calling, and in 1892 became bookkeeper for the Gardner Wilmington Coal Company, at Clark City, Ill., a firm with which he was connected for the succeeding twelve years. Mr. Barton came to Braceville in 1904, and at once became cashier for the People’s Bank, an office which he held to the present time. This is one of the old and substantial institutions of Grundy County, its proprietors being J. C. Lutz and F. L. Root, well-known business men of Gardner, Ill. Mr. Barton has done much to popularize the coffers of this institution and to inspire confidence in its depositors, thus adding to its prestige in the financial world. Always a stalwart Republican, he served some time as village clerk, and in May, 1911, was selected by his fellow citizens to represent them in the mayoralty chair. He is giving them a clean, sane and business-like administration, in which there have occurred a number of greatly needed municipal improvements. During his residence in the city he has made numerous friends in business, financial, public and social circles, and it is doubtful if Braceville has had a more popular official. He has been a stanch friend of the schools, and for some time has been a member of the Board of Education. Just before coming to Braceville, in 1904, Mr. Barton was married in Gardner, Ill., to Miss Elizabeth Blake, who was born in Wales and reared and educated in Gardner. Mr. and Mrs. Barton are consistent members of the Methodist Church.