Jerry Emmett Patterson (born November 15, 1946) is an American politician who served as the commissioner of the

Texas General Land Office The Texas General Land Office (GLO) is a state agency of the U.S. state of Texas, responsible for managing lands and mineral rights properties that are owned by the state. The GLO also manages and contributes to the state's Permanent School F ...

from 2003 to 2015. A former

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

, he was the second Republican since

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

to serve as land commissioner, a post which he held for three terms. He served from the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

area in District 11 in the

Texas Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate ...

from 1993 to 1999. Patterson did not immediately seek a fourth term as land commissioner. He was instead an unsuccessful Republican candidate for

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive officer, executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the United States, U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the wor ...

in the

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

held on March 4, 2014, losing to Dan Patrick. In 2018, he ran again for land commissioner, losing to incumbent George P. Bush in the Republican primary.

Early life and education

Patterson was born to Jerry Patterson and the former Georgia Lee Scheaffer in

. He graduated from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

Career

In 1972, he volunteered for duty in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. He was later designated a naval flight officer in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, and he served in Marine fighter squadrons until his retirement from the

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedi ...

as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993.Fernandez, Manny.
Old-Time Texas Politician, Verbally Quick on the Draw
" ''The New York Times.'' June 13, 2012. Accessed April 4, 2018. In 1984, Patterson ran for Texas' 25th congressional district. He faced freshman Democratic Representative Michael A. Andrews and lost, 64 to 36 percent. In 1992, Patterson won election to the

, serving from 1993 to 1999. During his tenure, he introduced a successful bill to allow

concealed carry Concealed carry, or carrying a concealed weapon (CCW), is the practice of carrying a weapon (usually a sidearm such as a handgun), either in proximity to or on one's person or in public places in a manner that hides or conceals the weapon's pre ...

of firearms. A 2012 ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' article described Patterson regularly wearing a gun on his ankle and a second in the small of his back. In March 1998, Patterson lost the Republican primary for land commissioner to David Dewhurst, also from Houston. Dewhurst led with 265,363 votes (51.2 percent). Patterson trailed with 216,250 votes (41.7 percent), and a third candidate, Don Loucks, held the remaining 36,706 votes (7.1 percent). In the 2002 Republican primary for Texas land commissioner, Patterson defeated Kenn George of

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, a member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. There are no Term limits in the United States, term limits. The ...

from District 108 and an assistant

United States Secretary of Commerce The United States secretary of commerce (SecCom) is the head of the United States Department of Commerce. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to commerce. The secretary rep ...

in the administration of U.S. President

Ronald W. Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party and became an important figure in ...

. In the general election, Patterson was opposed by Democratic State Senator David Bernsen of Beaumont. Patterson defeated him with 53.2% of the vote to Bernsen's 41.5%. In April 2003, Patterson was sworn into office, succeeding his one-time primary rival David Dewhurst; Dewhurst had left office to successfully run for

. In 2010, Patterson entered into a highly public dispute with Texas State Representative

Wayne Christian Walter Wayne Christian (born September 26, 1950) is an American politician and financial planner who has served as a member of the Railroad Commission of Texas since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Christian formerly served in the Texas ...

over an amendment Christian had introduced to rebuild his vacation home after

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

. Patterson threatened to force the legislature to impeach him before he would enforce the provision, telling the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...

'', "My option is just to say, 'Screw you, Wayne Christian,' because the Legislature didn't pass this, one guy passed this."

Race for lieutenant governor

In July 2011, Patterson announced that he would run for lieutenant governor in 2014. Patterson in 2012 endorsed three-term incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, who ran for the United States Senate. However, Dewhurst was defeated by former Texas Solicitor General

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz was the solicitor general of Texas from 2003 ...

in the Republican primary runoff election on July 31, 2012. In his race for lieutenant governor, Patterson polled 165,787 votes (12.5 percent) and ran last among the four candidates. After his last place finish, Patterson dumped a ton of opposition research on Patrick to the media, including medical records.

Later campaigns

Patterson said that even had he won, the 2014 race would have been his last campaign because he is "more concerned about the next generation han... about the next election." In 2015, he considered but decided against a run for an open seat on the

Texas Railroad Commission The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC; also sometimes called the Texas Railroad Commission, TRC) is the state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry, gas utilities, pipeline safety, safety in the liquefied petroleum gas industry, and s ...

, citing the likely electoral backlash against his personal opposition to Republican presidential frontrunner,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

.Malewitz, Jim.
Patterson, Declining to Run for Railroad Commission, Knocks Trump
" ''Texas Tribune.'' Dec. 14, 2015. In 2018, he ran for another term in his previous position, Texas Commissioner of the General Land Office. He opposed incumbent George P. Bush, a grandson of President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

, in the Republican primary. Patterson charged that Bush's agency had repaired only two homes in the months following

Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating tropical cyclone that made landfall in Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest tropical cy ...

and criticized his plan to renovate the

Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event and military engagement in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alam ...

historic site.Selby, W. Gardner.
Charge that George P. Bush-led agency has repaired two homes since Hurricane Harvey oversimplifies
" ''Politifact.'' Dec. 21, 2017.Allbright, Claire.
Land Commissioner George P. Bush’s primary opponents are making their last stand at the Alamo
" ''Texas Tribune.'' March 1, 2018.

Politifact PolitiFact.com is an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, with offices there and in Washington, D.C. It began in 2007 as a project of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' (then the ''St. Petersburg Times ...

rated Patterson's criticism of Bush's Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts as "Mostly True" but an "oversimplification." Bush outraised Patterson significantly, with more than $1.5 million in campaign contributions to Patterson's $107,000. Bush defeated Patterson and two other candidates in the March 6, 2018 primary. Bush received 58.2% of the vote to Patterson's 29.7%, avoiding a run-off.Allbright, Claire.
George P. Bush wins Republican primary race for Texas land commissioner
" ''Texas Tribune.'' Mar. 6, 2018.

Electoral history

References

External links

1992 - 2006 Election History (Texas Secretary of State Website)Patterson campaign websiteTexas General Land Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Jerry E. 1946 births Living people Texas land commissioners Republican Party Texas state senators Texas A&M University alumni United States Marine Corps officers Military personnel from Houston Politicians from Austin, Texas United States Marine Corps reservists Candidates in the 1984 United States elections Candidates in the 1998 United States elections Candidates in the 2014 United States elections Candidates in the 2018 United States elections 20th-century members of the Texas Legislature