Horton was born in Cuero, Texas and was a graduate of Louisiana State University (B.A., 1941) where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity (Gamma chapter).

[citation needed] Horton was a member of the Rochester City Council from 1955 to 1961.

Elected to the House of Representatives in 1962 as a Republican, Horton was re-elected to 14 additional terms.

[1] In 1966, along with three Republican Senators and four other Republican Representatives, Horton signed a telegram sent to Georgia Governor Carl E. Sanders regarding the Georgia legislature's refusal to seat the recently elected Julian Bond in their state House of Representatives.

Horton retired from Congress in 1993 when redistricting placed him in the same district as his friend Rep. Louise Slaughter.