Paul Linton Patterson (July 18, 1900 – January 31, 1956) was an American Republican politician. A native of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, he served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

before becoming an attorney in

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. Later he served as President of the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

(1951–1952) and the 26th Governor of Oregon (1952–1956). He was the first

Governor of Oregon The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

who was born in the 20th century, as well as the most recent one to die in office.

Early life

Patterson was born on July 18, 1900, in

Kent, Ohio Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County, Ohio, Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 28,215 at the 2020 United States ...

. His father was George A. Patterson, at the time attending college in Ohio, and Paul's mother was Ada Linton Patterson. After completing college, George became a Congregationalist minister, and moved the family to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, in 1908. In his first job, young Paul worked as a newsboy on the streets of Portland, later working up to his own paper route. He completed his public education, a graduate of Portland's Washington High School (now closed). Patterson served briefly in the U.S. Army during the First World War in the artillery. After the war, Patterson enrolled in the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

, first earning his B.A. in business administration (1923), then a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

(1926). While in college, he met Georgia Searle Benson, the daughter of a prominent Portland family. They married on May 16, 1927, and later had three children. After graduating, Patterson passed the State Bar and set up a law firm in

Hillsboro, Oregon Hillsboro ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County, Oregon, Washington County. Situated in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city hosts many High tech, high-te ...

, in 1926. He remained involved in this private practice until 1952.

Political career

The law firm launched Patterson's political career, starting with a position as the Deputy District Attorney of Washington County from 1926 until 1933. After serving in this capacity, he went on to serve (at various times) as the city attorney for Hillsboro, Beaverton, Gaston, Sherwood, and Tualatin. Such service gained him prominence throughout Washington County's political establishment. He chaired the Washington County Republican Party up to 1944. This is when he noticed an open local seat in the

which had no candidates for office. He agreed to run for it himself, winning in the November 1944 election. He held his Senate seat from 1945 until 1952, the last year as

President of the Senate President of the Senate is a title often given to the presiding officer of a senate. It corresponds to the Speaker (politics), speaker in some other assemblies. The senate president often ranks high in a jurisdiction's Order of succession, succes ...

Governorship

Governor Douglas McKay resigned in 1952 to accept President Eisenhower's appointment as U.S. Secretary of the Interior. At this time, Patterson, as president of the Senate, was next in line for the governorship. He was sworn in as Oregon's 26th governor on December 27, 1952. Governor Patterson assumed office with a low political profile statewide, but proved to be popular. He easily won the Republican gubernatorial nomination and election in his own right in

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

. As with his other Republican contemporaries, he was fiscally conservative, but accepted federal money for unemployment aid, transportation projects, and water management programs. He strongly supported the state's transportation infrastructure, and encouraged the development of the state freeway system. No increases in funding or expansion of social programs were proposed under his leadership. An enduring legacy of Governor Paul Patterson is his opposition to a state sales tax without a popular vote. Any move to legislatively implement a sales tax has been met with major opposition since his administration. Inside his own party, he was looked upon favorably by both the national and local interests. Patterson had the backing of Portland's influential Arlington Club, some of whose most powerful members assisted his election campaigns.

Bid for the Senate and unexpected death

Republicans hoped to pick up Senator

Wayne Morse Wayne Lyman Morse (October 20, 1900 – July 22, 1974) was an American attorney and United States Senator from Oregon. Morse is well known for opposing the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party’s leadership and for his opposition t ...

's seat in the 1956 election, and considered the popular governor as the party's best chance. Patterson announced his candidacy January 28, 1956, at a time when his popularity was highest. Three days later, after his first campaign speech, Patterson collapsed during a meeting with campaign advisers at the Arlington Club in Portland on January 31, 1956. He was reported as suddenly slumping over in his chair. When examined, it was determined that he had suffered a coronary occlusion. The deceased governor was provided a state funeral on February 3, 1956. Patterson's ashes were interred at River View Cemetery in Portland. President of the Senate Elmo Smith was sworn in to succeed Patterson as governor.

Legacy

Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site in coastal Oregon is named after him.

Sources

External links

Oregon State Archives: Patterson Administration
Photo, bio, records, and some public speeches of Governor Paul L. Patterson. {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Paul L. 1900 births 1956 deaths 20th-century Oregon politicians American Congregationalists University of Oregon alumni Politicians from Hillsboro, Oregon Presidents of the Oregon State Senate Burials at River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) United States Army personnel of World War I Washington High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni Republican Party governors of Oregon University of Oregon School of Law alumni Oregon city attorneys Oregon lawyers Lawyers from Hillsboro, Oregon 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly