Barton, Bruce

Barton, Bruce (Fairchild) (1886–1967) advertising executive, author, U.S. representative; born in Robbins, Tenn. He was a magazine editor and publicist before founding a New York advertising agency with George Batten, Roy Durstine and Alex Osborn (1919); for more than 40 years he headed what became BBDO, one of the country's largest advertising agencies. He created the character Betty Crocker. The author of numerous inspirational essays, he was best known for his best-selling book, The Man Nobody Knows (1925), which presented Jesus Christ as a successful salesman. A conservative and an opponent of the New Deal, he served two terms in the House of Representatives (Rep., N.Y.; 1937–41).