Roscoe Bartlett

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Roscoe Bartlett
United States Representative from Maryland's 6th district
In office 1993-present
Preceded by	Beverly Byron
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	June 3, 1926 Moreland, Kentucky
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Ellen Louise Bartlett
Religion	Seventh Day Adventist

Roscoe Gardner Bartlett, Ph.D. (born June 3, 1926) is a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 6th district (map) of Maryland since 1993. He often refers to himself not as a lawmaker but rather as a "citizen legislator."

[edit] Early life, career, and family

Born in Moreland, Kentucky, a suburb of Louisville, Bartlett completed his early education in a one-room schoolhouse. He attended the Seventh-day Adventist Columbia Union College and graduated in 1947 with a B.S. in theology and biology and a minor in chemistry. He had intended to be a minister, but he was considered too young for the ministry after receiving his bachelor's degree at the age of 21.

Afterwards, Bartlett was encouraged to attend graduate school at the University of Maryland, College Park. He studied anatomy, physiology, and zoology, earning a Master's degree in physiology in 1948. Bartlett was then hired as a faculty member at Maryland and taught anatomy, physiology and zoology while working towards his Ph.D. in physiology, which he earned in 1952. His academic career included lecturing at the Seventh-day Adventist Loma Linda School of Medicine in Loma Linda, California (1952-1954), and serving as an assistant professor at Howard University Medical School in Washington, D.C. (1954-1956). He also pursued careers as a research scientist, inventor, business owner, and farmer.

Bartlett and his wife Ellen have ten children and twelve grandchildren, and are members of Seventh-day Adventist Church. He has since retired from teaching and building homes, but continues to raise sheep and goats on his farm.

[edit] Congressional career

Rep. Bartlett (center) (R-MD) joined Reps. Ben Cardin (podium) (D-MD) and Jo Ann Davis (left) (R-VA) in calling for a study of homeland security needs of the National Capital region, including Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

In 1982, Bartlett was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress. Ten years later, however, he was successfully elected to Congress by the sixth district of Maryland—the western and more conservative part of the state. The popular 10-year incumbent, conservative Democrat Beverly Byron, had been defeated in the primary, and many conservative Democrats switched their support to Bartlett in November. The district includes Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett and Washington counties, as well as parts of Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties.

A vocal proponent of the Hubbert peak theory, Bartlett argues strongly in favor of preparation for a decline in the production of fossil fuels. He is far and away the most conservative member of the Maryland delegation, and probably the most conservative congressman to represent Maryland in a long time. For example, he is the only member of the Maryland delegation who is pro-life on abortion issues. He also voted against the re-authorization of the Voting Rights Act.

In 2006, he defeated Iraq War veteran Andrew Duck and won reelection.

[edit] Committee assignments

Earlier photo of Congressman Bartlett.

As of May 2006, Bartlett serves on the following House committees:

• Chairman of the Projection Forces Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee.
• Vice Chairman of the House Small Business Committee.
• Senior member of the House Science Committee.

[edit] Quotes

• "I'm not interested in politics, I'm interested in my country. I am a conservative who wants to help restore the limited federal government envisioned and established in the Constitution by our nation's founders. I want to ensure that future generations of Americans will have the same opportunities for success that I did."

• "Upholding the Constitution, including the entire Bill of Rights, and maintaining a strong defense should be our priorities. If we don't get these priorities right, nothing else will matter."

• "One barrel of oil, 42 gallons of oil, equals the productivity of 25,000 manhours. That is the equivalent of having 60 dedicated servants that do nothing but work for someone." [1] (Page: H1412)

• "Not much over a third of [the scholarships] went to students that would represent the normal American. ... About a third [of the recipients] had American names." --March 3, 1993, remarks to a group of Maryland state officials at the U.S. Capitol regarding links between high-school performance and ethnic background (he later explained that he was contrasting "American names" and "Oriental names")

[edit] Election history

[edit] References

• This article incorporates facts obtained from the public domain Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Biography at Bartlett's Congressional website. [2]
• Congressional Quarterly Voting and Elections Collection.

[edit] External links

• Official website
• An interview with Rep. Bartlett regarding peak oil
• Transcript of Bartlett speech in Congress on Peak Oil May 2005
• Video of Rep. Bartlett in Congress on Peak Oil February 2005
• IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, October 24, 2005: Resolution
• Voting record maintained by the Washington Post