John Richard Patterson (17 May 1945 – 29 January 1997) was the founder of the UK-based

computer dating A computer is a machine that can be programmed to automatically carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (''computation''). Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as ''programs'', wh ...

service Dateline. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' called him "history's most successful Cupid," while ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' characterized Dateline as "probably the largest, longest established and most successful computer dating service in the world."

Biography

Patterson was born in

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and one of the home counties. It borders Bedfordshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Essex to the east, Greater London to the ...

and educated at

Bishop's Stortford College Bishop's Stortford College is a private boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for more than 1,200 pupils aged 4–18, situated in a campus on the edge of the market town of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England ...

. The son of a banker, he earned a degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1966. He founded Dateline in 1966 after a trip to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, where he had seen a computer used to match partners at a freshman's ball. The company was founded with £50.00, which he had borrowed from his parents, and later used an IBM computer. The company was highly successful, eventually becoming "the world's biggest and most enduring introduction service" in the 1980s and 1990s. However, Patterson struggled to find clients at first, and engaged in shady business practices: he was convicted of fraud in 1969 for selling lists of women who signed up for his dating service to men who were looking for prostitutes. Dateline relied heavily on

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

, taking out the first full-page ads for a dating service in newspaper and magazines during the early 1970s, and becoming known for its catchphrase, "You too can find love." In 1974, Patterson bought out and absorbed Com-Pat, his only major competitor and the first computer dating service in the UK, started in 1964 by

Joan Ball Joan Ball (born 1934) is a British businesswoman who started the first computer dating service in England in 1964. Notably, it also pre-dated the earliest American computer dating services. Early life Joan Ball, born in 1934, was the 6th child ...

. Patterson also published a monthly magazine titled ''Singles'', and in 1975 he launched a

travel agency A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destina ...

, Singles Holidays. While these ventures eventually folded, Dateline continued to operate throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. During the 1990s, some estimates suggested that the company matched more than 40,000 prospective couples a year, approximately 2,000 of whom ended up getting married. Patterson was an avid aviator, purchasing his first plane in 1972, and winning ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

'' Beaujolais Wine Race two years running in his single seater light aircraft. Patterson was married to Sandy Nye (also known as Valerie); the couple had three children before divorcing in 1982. He subsequently had two more children with his former secretary, Kim Sellick. He struggled with

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

later in life, and died of a heart attack in 1997. After Patterson's death, Dateline was sold to the Columbus Publishing Group in 1998, for £1.45 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, John Richard 20th-century British businesspeople British mechanical engineers People from Hertfordshire 1945 births 1997 deaths People educated at Bishop's Stortford College