Born to William and Edith Barton, Elmo Leroy Barton served in the U.S. Navy from July 1943 until February 1946 and then returned to the Navy during the Korean conflict. He married Helen Sanberry on July 16, 1949. With the exception of a period 1956 to 1961 during which Barton worked as a secretary for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Fireman and Engineman in Cleveland, Ohio, Barton worked for the Santa Fe Railway as an engineer.