Luther Patrick (January 23, 1894 – May 26, 1957) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

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 ...

Early life

Born near

Decatur, Alabama Decatur () is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama, Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in North Alabam ...

, Patrick attended the local public schools,

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

at Baton Rouge, and

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( ) is a city in and is the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of Lafayette ...

. He graduated from the law department of the

University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the old ...

in 1918. During

the First World War 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 ...

, Patrick served as a private. He was assigned to the Army training detachment and to the Central Officers' Training School, from June 14, 1918, to December 4, 1918. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1919 and commenced practice in

Fairfield, Alabama Fairfield is a city in western Jefferson County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Birmingham metropolitan area and is located southeast of Pleasant Grove. The population was 10,000 at the 2020 census. Fairfield is home to Miles C ...

. He was author of many poems and books. He served as the city attorney of Fairfield from 1920 until 1922. He began a career as a radio commentator in 1925. He served as assistant attorney general of Alabama 1927–1929. He served as assistant United States district attorney of the northern Alabama district in 1933 and 1934.

Political career

Patrick 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 Seventy-fifth. He ran in the Democratic primary that constituted the competitive contest in Alabama at the time on a platform that ardently supported President Roosevelt's

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

. He successfully defeated incumbent Congressman

George Huddleston George Huddleston (November 11, 1869 – February 29, 1960) was a U.S. Representative from Alabama, father of George Huddleston, Jr. Life and career Huddleston was born on a farm near Lebanon, Tennessee, the son of Nancy Emeline (Sherrill) ...

on this platform in 1936 in a hard-fought campaign that saw Congressman Huddleston strike Patrick with a sauce bottle in a restaurant after a heated argument. He was reelected to the Seventy-sixth and Seventy-seventh Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1942, and served as a consultant to the

War Production Board The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Su ...

in 1943 and 1944, before winning back his seat in the Seventy-ninth Congress (January 3, 1945 – January 3, 1947). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1946 and resumed law practice in

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...

. He served as delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

in 1956. According to ''Variety'': "Patrick, running as a radio wit and debunker, astonished seasoned politicians when he ran without a platform, without professing to know anything about complex economic problems and without promising anybody anything."Variety, October 14, 1936 (https://archive.org/stream/variety124-1936-10#page/n96/mode/1up/)

Death

His death occurred in

. He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick, Luther 1894 births 1957 deaths Politicians from Decatur, Alabama Louisiana State University alumni Purdue University alumni Military personnel from Alabama Alabama lawyers University of Alabama School of Law alumni United States Army soldiers Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Alabama Assistant United States attorneys American commentators American radio personalities Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham, Alabama) 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives