Barton Jennings Gordon (born January 24, 1949) is an American politician and former U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 6th congressional district, serving from 1985 until 2011.

[3] He graduated cum laude from Middle Tennessee State University in 1971, where he was student body president, and earned a J.D.

However, he won handily in November 1984, riding Gore's coattails in the midst of Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in that year's presidential election.

Gordon was re-elected by huge margins until 1994, when his Republican opponent was attorney Steve Gill, a former basketball player at the University of Tennessee who is now a radio talk show host.

From 2003 to 2019, that district was held by Marsha Blackburn, a Williamson County resident who was Gordon's opponent in 1992–the first time since his initial run for the seat that he faced a reasonably well-financed Republican challenger.

Even as Gordon continued to win reelection, the 6th began trending heavily Republican at the local level in the 1990s and 2000s.

For instance, even with Gore atop the ticket as Bill Clinton's running mate in 1996 and as presidential candidate in 2000, the Republican nominee for president carried the district in both elections.

In addition to Nashville's suburbs bleeding into the district, the more rural areas began shedding their "Yellow Dog Democratic" roots.

Most recently, he defeated Congressman Aaron Schock, 33 years his younger at the Capital Challenge Charity Race.