LaFayette Lee Patterson (August 23, 1888 – March 3, 1987) was a

United States representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

. He served three terms in the

U.S. Congress The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including a lower body, the U.S. House of Representatives, and an upper body, the U.S. Senate. They both ...

, from 1928 to 1933. Born near

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

Clay County, Alabama Clay County is a county in the east central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 14,236. Its county seat is Ashland. Its name is in honor of Henry Clay, famous American statesman, member of the United S ...

, Patterson attended rural schools. He worked in agriculture and as a teacher in the rural schools. He graduated from Jacksonville State Teachers College in 1922, from Birmingham-Southern College in 1924, and from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1927. From 1924 to 1926 he was the superintendent of education for

Tallapoosa County, Alabama Tallapoosa County is a county located in the east-central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Tallapoosa County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpageACES-Tallapoosa As of the 2020 census, ...

. Patterson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the 70th Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William B. Bowling. He was reelected to the two succeeding Congresses and served from November 6, 1928, to March 3, 1933. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1932. Patterson moved to

Gadsden, Alabama Gadsden is the county seat of Etowah County in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is located on the Coosa River about northeast of Birmingham and southwest of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is the primary city of the Gadsden Metropolitan Statist ...

, in 1931. He worked as a field representative for the

Agricultural Adjustment Administration The Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) was a United States federal law of the New Deal era designed to boost agricultural prices by reducing surpluses. The government bought livestock for slaughter and paid farmers subsidies not to plant on part ...

from 1933 to 1943, as a special assistant to the

War Food Administration The War Food Administration was a United States government agency that existed from 1943 to 1945. The War Food Administration was responsible for the production and distribution of food to meet war and essential civilian needs during World War II. ...

from 1943 to 1945, and as a special adviser to the

Secretary of Agriculture The United States secretary of agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other governments The department includes several organiz ...

from 1945 to 1947. He remained active in his political party's affairs, serving as a liaison officer for the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

in 1948 and as a delegate-at-large to the

1952 Democratic National Convention The 1952 Democratic National Convention was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois from July 21 to July 26, 1952, which was the same arena the Republicans had gathered in a few weeks earlier for their national convention from ...

. From 1948 to 1951 he was an assistant professor of history at his alma mater, Jacksonville State College. He moved to

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, in 1952 where he worked in the travel business. He returned to Alabama in 1965, living in Montgomery, and resumed his profession as a teacher. Patterson died in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

on March 3, 1987, at age 98. He was buried at Bethlehem Cemetery in

New Site, Alabama New Site is a town in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States. It incorporated in 1965. At the 2010 census the population was 773, down from 848 in 2000. It is part of the Alexander City Micropolitan Statistical Area. New Site is the close ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Lafayette L. 1888 births 1987 deaths People from Clay County, Alabama Stanford University alumni Jacksonville State University alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives