Complex sentence: Joshua Barton (July 28,1792--June 30,1823) was the first Missouri Secretary of State and was involved in three duels with prominent Missouri politicians before being killed in a duel.
Split into simpler sentences: Joshua Barton (July 28,1792--June 30,1823) was the first Missouri Secretary of State. He was involved in three duels with prominent Missouri politicians before being killed in a duel.