Joseph Vincent Gartlan Jr. (September 21, 1925 – July 18, 2008) was a lawyer and Democratic politician who served in the Senate of Virginia for 28 years.

In 1971, the Virginia General Assembly drew new districts reflecting the changes in population captured in the 1970 federal census and the recent Supreme Court decision in the case of Davis v. Mann that mandated equipopulous senate districts.

Gartlan was the Democratic nominee in the 36th district which covered eastern portions of Fairfax County.

[2] He was a member of Mount Vernon's Good Shepherd Catholic Church,[2] Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce, Virginia Citizens Consumer Council, Inc., Knights of Columbus, Chesapeake Bay Commission, Social Action Linking Together (SALT), American College of Trial Lawyers, and a lecturer in law at the University of Virginia Law School.

A handicapped accessible marsh trail in the Elizabeth Hartwell Mason Neck National Wildlife Refuge is named in his honor, as indicated by a plaque at its entrance.