Barton Sr. remembered as a ‘visionary’ and ‘father of modern Baton Rouge’

Looking back on the life and career of local businessman, philanthropist and civic leader John W. Barton Sr., who died Saturday at the age of 95, Baton Rouge Area Foundation President/CEO John Davies says it’s impossible to surmise just how influential and important his mentor was to the Greater Baton Rouge community. “He was a father of modern Baton Rouge,” Davies says. “Every major not-for-profit organization in our region was either conceived of, founded or led by John Barton Sr. He was a wonderful family man, a very successful businessman, and a man who was very faithful to his church. His passing is really the passing of an era because of what he built in this community.” Born on New Year’s Day in 1917 in Napoleonville, Barton graduated from Port Allen High School and LSU before going on to own and operate Barton Investments and Barton Farms. Among his many civic endeavors, Barton helped found BRAF, was a founding board member for the Pennington Biomedical Research Foundation, sat on the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce board and directed the fundraising committee for the Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “John Barton was a visionary before it was popular to be one. He was always willing to talk to young people about their ideas and visions,” says Richard Preis, managing director of Morgan Keegan, who knew Barton for decades and considered him a mentor and friend. Services for Barton will take place at First Presbyterian Church, 763 North Blvd., with visitation on Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m., and Saturday, from 11 a.m. until a 1 p.m. service time. Read a Business Report profile of Barton from 1995, when he was the Hall of Fame inductee for the Business Report and Junior Achievement’s Business Awards and Hall of Fame, here. —Steve Sanoski