Paul Edward Patton (born May 26, 1937) is an American politician who served as the 59th

governor of Kentucky The governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky. Sixty-two men and one woman have served as governor of Kentucky. The governor's term is four years in length; sinc ...

from 1995 to 2003. Because of a 1992 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution, he was the first governor eligible to run for a second term in office, since

James Garrard James Garrard ( ; January 14, 1749 – January 9, 1822) was an American farmer, Baptist minister and politician who served as the List of Governors of Kentucky, second governor of Kentucky from 1796 to 1804. Because of Term limits in the United ...

, in 1800. Since 2013, he has been the chancellor of the

University of Pikeville The University of Pikeville (UPIKE) is a private university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and located in Pikeville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1889 by the Presbyterian Church and is located on a campus on a hillside overlookin ...

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 7,754 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census. Pikeville serves as a regional eco ...

, after serving as its president from 2010 to 2013. He also served as chairman of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education from 2009 to 2011. After graduating from the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

in 1959, Patton became wealthy by operating

coal mines Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

for 20 years. He sold most of his coal interests, in the late 1970s, and he entered politics, serving, briefly, in the cabinet of Governor John Y. Brown Jr. and chairing the state Democratic Party. In 1981, he was elected judge/executive of Pike County. He made an unsuccessful bid for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

in 1987, but he was elected in 1991, serving, concurrently, as lieutenant governor and secretary of economic development, under Governor

Brereton Jones Brereton Chandler Jones (June 27, 1939 – September 18, 2023) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. From 1991 to 1995, he was the state's 58th governor, and had served from 1987 to 1991 as the 50th lieutenant governor ...

. Four years later, Patton was elected Governor, over Larry Forgy. The major achievement of his first term was overhauling higher education, including making the state's

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

s and

technical school A vocational school (alternatively known as a trade school, or technical school), is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocationa ...

s independent of the University of Kentucky and organizing them into the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Shortly after Patton turned back a weak challenge to his re-election in 1999, two Democratic state senators defected to the Republican Party, giving Republicans an unprecedented majority in that legislative house. The economic prosperity that fueled Patton's first term success faded into a recession in the early 2000s. Faced with a hostile legislature and a dire economic forecast, Patton was unable to enact much significant legislation in his second term, and his situation was exacerbated, in 2002, when news of an extramarital affair and allegations of a sex-for-favors scandal broke. After initially denying the affair, Patton later admitted to it, but he continued to deny using his office to benefit his mistress. Later in his term, Patton was attacked for pardoning four of his political advisers who were indicted for violating Kentucky's

campaign finance Campaign financealso called election finance, political donations, or political financerefers to the funds raised to promote candidates, political parties, or policy initiatives and referendums. Donors and recipients include individuals, corpor ...

laws and for allegedly abusing his patronage powers. These successive scandals derailed any further political aspirations.

Early life and education

Patton was born in Fallsburg, Kentucky, on May 26, 1937, in a retrofitted

silo A silo () is a structure for storing Bulk material handling, bulk materials. Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal, cement, carbon black, woodchips, food products and sawdust. Three types of silos are in widespread use toda ...

with no indoor plumbing, electricity, or telephone.Kentucky Governor Paul E. Patton
". National Governors AssociationMueller, p. A1 He was the only son of the three children born to Ward and Irene Patton.Blanchard, p. 251 The family moved, often, because Ward Patton, a teacher, was assigned to a different school every year. When he was hired by a railroad in Pike County, he and his wife agreed that she would remain in Fallsburg with the children, until they finished school. Patton attended Fallsburg Elementary School, a four-room schoolhouse in his hometown. He was active in the

4-H 4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development". Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times ...

club, where he began to develop his public speaking ability. In 1951, he enrolled at Louisa High School in

Louisa, Kentucky Louisa is a home-rule class city located in eastern Kentucky, United States, at the merger of the Levisa Fork River, Levisa and Tug Fork River, Tug Forks into the Big Sandy River (Ohio River tributary), Big Sandy River, which forms part of the s ...

. He was an honor student, a member of the drama club, a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and baseball player, and class president, during his senior year. In 1955, he graduated with the third-highest

grade point average Grading in education is the application of standardized Measurement, measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentage ...

in his class of 73. After high school, Patton attended the University of Kentucky. During the spring of 1956, he was initiated into the

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig or KSig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international Fraternities and sororities in North America, fr ...

fraternity. Later that year, he unsuccessfully sought a seat in the Student Government Association. In 1959, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering. He was later awarded an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

Career

Coal industry

In 1959, after graduation, Patton began work as a day laborer picking slate for the Sizemore Mining Corporation that was owned by his father-in-law.Blanchard, p. 252 In 1961, he moved to Virgie and founded the Elkhorn Coal Company, with his brother-in-law. In 1972, he purchased Chapperal Coal Company and became extremely wealthy during the coal boom that resulted from the

1973 oil crisis In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Eg ...

. He sold Chapperal in 1978 and then helped develop Campbell Coal and Oil Supply into a major supply outlet in the eastern part of the state. He became a leader in the coal industry, serving on the board of directors of the Kentucky Coal Association, chairing the Board of the National Independent Coal Operators Association, and becoming a member of the Kentucky Deep Mine Safety Commission.Paul E. Patton
". Hall of Distinction He denounced the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969 as "right in its diagnosis of the problem but wrong in prescription for the cure".Proposed Strip Mining Curbs Denounced By Coal Operators
. ''

Kentucky New Era The ''Kentucky New Era'' is the major daily newspaper in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in the United States. History The paper was founded in 1869 by John D. Morris and Asher Graham Caruth, as the ''Weekly Kentucky New Era.'' He railed against a federal regulation that would prohibit

strip mining Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit (the overburden) are removed, in contrast to underground mining, in which ...

on slopes of greater than 20 degrees, which would have effectively ended that method of mining in the Eastern Mountain Coal Fields and lamented the economic disadvantage imposed on Kentucky coal miners by the state's coal

severance tax Severance taxes are taxes imposed on the removal of natural resources within a taxing jurisdiction. Severance taxes are most commonly imposed in oil producing states within the United States. Resources that typically incur severance taxes when ...

. Patton was regarded as more moderate than most coal operators, in his relationship to

labor unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

. Most of his mine workers were not unionized, and those who were generally belonged to the Southern Labor Union, rather than the more confrontational

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

(UMWA). Members of the UMWA local at Shelby Gap maintained that Patton was arrested for clipping a striking miner on a picket line with his pickup truck in the late 1970s. Local law enforcement officials claim no recollection of the incident, and there is no record of an

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

against Patton or an actual arrest. On October 18, 1976, Patton filed for divorce from Carol Cooley, saying only that their marriage was irretrievably broken. The divorce was final on February 25, 1977. Later that year, Patton married Judi Jane Conway of Pikeville, a secretary at his Kentucky Elkhorn mine. In 1973, Conway had divorced her first husband, Bill Harvey Johnson, with whom she had two children.

Politics

Patton was introduced to politics by State Senator Kelsey Friend, who arranged for Patton to be a delegate to the 1972 Democratic National Convention. Friend also convinced Patton to help raise money for Walter "Dee" Huddleston's congressional campaign.Ellers, p. 22 As the coal boom began to wane, Patton sold most of his coal interests in 1978. After a meeting with allies of his friend First District Congressman Carroll Hubbard in Madisonville on September 20, 1978, Patton considered a run for governor in 1979.Patton Will Not Run For Governor In 1979
. ''Kentucky New Era'' However, he subsequently decided that he lacked the time to organize a campaign before the May

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 ...

; a letter leaked to '' The Paducah Sun'' showed that he believed he was losing Hubbard's support. He joined Terry McBrayer's campaign, during the primary, and after McBrayer lost, he worked to elect John Y. Brown Jr., the Democratic nominee.Ellers, p. 24 Brown won the election, and Patton was appointed deputy secretary of transportation. He served only three months, before resigning to protest Brown's proposal for a coal severance tax. In late 1981, Brown asked Patton to become vice-chair of the Kentucky Democratic Party.Ellers, p. 28 He would serve under Dale Sights of Henderson. Brown then informed Patton that there had been a change of plans: he had decided to appoint his father, former U.S. Representative

John Y. Brown Sr. John Young Brown (February 1, 1900 – June 16, 1985) was an American Attorney at law, attorney and politician. He was a state representative for six two-year terms, serving one as speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives in 1932 and as ma ...

to the chair, instead of Sights. Brown's advisers convinced him that this would be politically damaging; finally, Brown appointed Patton chair, with June Taylor, daughter of former governor Ruby Laffoon, as vice-chair.Ellers, p. 29 The announcement was a surprise to most political observers, as Sights had been the odds-on favorite for the chairmanship. Patton served as chairman until 1983. During his tenure, he learned much about politics from Taylor and was introduced to Andrew "Skipper" Martin of

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, who would later become an important adviser and ally.

Pike County judge/executive

In 1981, Patton ran for county judge/executive of Pike County. On the way to a victory in the Democratic primary, he outspent incumbent Wayne Rutherford $191,252 to $49,000. In the general election, he garnered more than 75 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Jim Polley. Within six months of his election, Patton instituted the state's first mandatory, county-wide garbage collection program, to combat illegal garbage dumping, which was rampant in the county.Ellers, p. 27 The program won Patton statewide acclaim. When Patton sought re-election in 1985, he, again, faced Rutherford in the Democratic primary. Rutherford campaigned against the garbage-collection program, promising to repeal it, if elected. This stance may have hurt him, because although some county residents resented the mandatory fee for garbage pick-up, many more recognized the benefits, as illegal dump sites became less common. Patton won the primary, again, and he went on to re-election. However, he won both races by much smaller margins than in 1981 (2,524 votes in the primary and 3,916 votes in the general election). In his second term, Patton initiated an oil recycling program and established a work program for

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

mothers in

day care Child care, also known as day care, is the care and supervision of one or more children, typically ranging from three months to 18 years old. Although most parents spend a significant amount of time caring for their child(ren), childcare typica ...

centers. He oversaw construction of a new jail and a $5 million renovation to the county courthouse.Blanchard, p. 253 He brought the county its first manufacturing company and stopped the practice of giving away gravel, drains, and bridge lumber from district warehouses to private citizens. Among his other priorities as judge/executive were the construction of rural roads and recreation facilities. In 1987, Patton ran for

Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky The lieutenant governor of Kentucky was created under the state's second constitution, which was ratified in 1799. The inaugural officeholder was Alexander Scott Bullitt, who took office in 1800 following his election to serve under James Garra ...

. In a crowded primary, his 130,713 votes placed him third, behind Brereton Jones (189,058 votes) and

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

David L. Armstrong (147,718 votes), but ahead of state senator David Boswell and Superintendent of Public Instruction Alice McDonald. In the most expensive primary in Kentucky history, at that point, Patton spent more than $2 million of his personal fortune, but he was outspent by Jones, who committed more than $3 million to the campaign. By comparison,

Martha Layne Collins Colonel Martha Layne Collins (née Hall; born December 7, 1936) is an American former businesswoman and politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Kentucky; she served as the state's List of Governors of Kentucky, 56th govern ...

had spent $140,000 to win the office in 1979 and Steve Beshear $250,000 to win it in 1983.Ellers, p. 35 Following his defeat, Patton returned to Pike County. In 1989 he was re-elected for a third term as judge/executive, receiving over 70 percent of the vote in a three-way Democratic primary and subsequently winning the general election by nearly a three-to-one margin. He immediately began preparing for another run for lieutenant governor in 1991.Ellers, p. 31 In the earlier campaign, the UMWA had been vociferously opposed to Patton, because employees in his coal mines had been affiliated with the Southern Labor Union. Skipper Martin introduced him to

Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a di ...

leaders, and Patton worked with them to unionize Pike County employees. He also worked with Kelsey Friend to pass the Kentucky Rural Economic Development Act, a measure giving financial incentives to companies that located in economically depressed rural counties.Ellers, p. 32

Lieutenant governor

Patton sought the office of lieutenant governor, again, in 1991. In a crowded seven-candidate field in the Democratic primary, the front runner was Attorney General Fred Cowan of Louisville. Other candidates included Steve Collins, son of former governor Martha Layne Collins, and former Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives Bobby H. Richardson. Just days before the primary, it was reported that Cowan's campaign had sought funds from a company that his office was investigating for criminal conduct. Patton beat Cowan by a margin of 146,102 votes to 104,337. In the general election, Patton faced Republican Eugene Goss.Blanchard, p. 254 Goss criticized Patton for announcing that, if elected, he would seek the governor's office at the expiration of his term.Candidate for No. 2 Post Blasts Past Holders of Office
. ''Daily News'' Goss insisted that he would not seek the governorship, if elected, and he maintained that using the lieutenant governor's post as a stepping stone to the governor's office was a betrayal of the office and its authority. Goss ran an unorthodox campaign, limiting individual contributions to his campaign to $300 and refusing to run television commercials. Patton went on to a lopsided victory in the general election, winning 514,023 votes to Goss's 250,857. Upon his election as lieutenant governor, Patton resigned his office as Pike County judge-executive. While presiding over the Senate in the 1991 legislative session, Patton voted against a mandatory seat belt law, breaking a 19–19 tie. He was the last Kentucky lieutenant governor to preside over the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout Kentucky, the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky senators. T ...

; a 1992 amendment to the state constitution created a new position, President of the Kentucky Senate, and relieved the lieutenant governor of his duties in that body.Donnell, p. 6A In November 1991, Governor Brereton Jones appointed Patton as secretary of economic development, making Patton the first lieutenant governor to serve as an appointed cabinet secretary. In this capacity, he encouraged the use of

tax incentive A tax incentive is an aspect of a government's taxation policy designed to incentive, incentivize or encourage a particular economic activity by reducing tax payments. Tax incentives can have both positive and negative impacts on an economy. Amo ...

s to bring new industry to the state. Bill Bishop, a journalist for the ''

Lexington Herald-Leader The ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' is a newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the ''1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook'', the paid circulation of the ''Herald-Leader'' is the second larg ...

'', criticized these incentives, saying that Patton, too often, used them to attract low-wage jobs.Ellers, p. 33 In response, Patton wrote a series of essays. While he never published them in the newspaper, he later compiled them into a book entitled ''Kentucky's Approach to Economic Development''. He also reorganized Kentucky economic development efforts, securing the adoption of four new development incentive programs and establishing the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership.

1995 gubernatorial election

At the expiration of his term as lieutenant governor in 1995, Patton announced his candidacy for governor. The 1995 gubernatorial election was novel, in several ways, following a 1992 constitutional amendment. It was the first election in Kentucky history in which the governor and lieutenant governor were elected as a

ticket Ticket or tickets may refer to: Slips of paper * Lottery ticket * Parking ticket, a ticket confirming that the parking fee was paid (and the time of the parking start) * Toll ticket, a slip of paper used to indicate where vehicles entered a to ...

. Another new provision stated that if no candidate received at least 40 percent of the vote in his or her party's primary, a

runoff election The two-round system (TRS or 2RS), sometimes called ballotage, top-two runoff, or two-round plurality, is a single-winner electoral system which aims to elect a member who has support of the majority of voters. The two-round system involves one ...

would occur between the top two candidates. Most significantly, for the first time in Kentucky history, the winners of each race would be allowed to succeed themselves in office and serve another term. Also, as a result of campaign finance reform passed under Governor Jones, candidates would receive public campaign financing and would have their campaign spending capped, negating the advantage of wealthy candidates. Patton chose Steve Henry, a surgeon and county commissioner from Louisville, as his running mate. His major opposition in the Democratic primary came from secretary of state Bob Babbage and President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate John "Eck" Rose. Although sitting governor Brereton Jones did not officially endorse Patton, Rose referred to Jones as Patton's "mentor".Rose Gives Patton New Puddin' Moniker
. ''Kentucky New Era'' Rose charged that, like Jones, Patton would not take a hard stand on the issues. Referring to a nickname given to Jones in the 1991 campaign, Rose remarked "If you have liked

Jell-O Jell-O (stylized in all caps) is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of ...

Jones, then you are going to be in a position to love Puddin' Paul Patton." Particularly odious to Rose was that Patton had publicly supported collective wage bargaining for public employees, but he had declared that he would not fight for it, in the upcoming 1996 legislative session. Though Babbage and Rose were political veterans and solid campaigners, Patton won 152,203 votes in the primary, well over the 40 percent needed to avoid a runoff. Babbage ran second with 81,352 votes and Rose was third with 71,740 votes. Two other candidates split the remaining 33,344 votes. Patton entered the general election as a perceived underdog.Harrison, p. 424 The previous year, Republicans had taken over both the

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

and

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

, and for the first time in decades, a majority of Kentucky's congressional delegation was Republican. State Democrats were also tainted by the Operation Boptrot investigation that sent many of their legislators, including House Speaker Don Blandford, to prison for political corruption.Ellers, p. 37 With Democrats in charge of state government for the previous 24 years, Patton feared that the "time for a change" argument would resonate with voters. Patton's opponent, Republican Larry Forgy, hurt his campaign by aligning himself with the

Christian right The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation ...

, alienating moderates in both parties, particularly in Louisville. He also openly opposed the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA), which was passed in 1990, during the administration of Wallace G. Wilkinson. Republican supporters of education reform deserted his campaign and helped form a bi-partisan coalition supporting KERA. Traditional Democratic

voting bloc A voting bloc is a group of voting, voters that are strongly motivated by a specific common concern or group of concerns to the point that such specific concerns tend to dominate their voting patterns, causing them to vote together in elections. ...

s such as

organized labor The labour movement is the collective organisation of working people to further their shared political and economic interests. It consists of the trade union or labour union movement, as well as political parties of labour. It can be considere ...

and African-Americans turned out, in force, for Patton. To further undermine Forgy, Patton reminded voters of the budget cuts by Congressional Republicans to programs affecting the elderly. These issues ultimately delivered a Patton victory of 500,787 votes to 479,227. It was the closest Kentucky gubernatorial election in 32 years, and it marked the first time an eastern Kentuckian had won the governorship since Bert T. Combs in 1959.

Governor of Kentucky

First term (1995–1999)

Though Patton had ambitions to enact education reform, early in his administration, his financial adviser, James R. Ramsey, convinced him to propose a conservative budget in the first legislative session. The two developed a plan to modernize the state government, making it more efficient. State employees were leery of increased efficiency, believing it was a code word for cutting state jobs. Patton dispelled this notion, by promising no involuntary layoffs. Patton also anticipated difficulty persuading legislators to invest an estimated $100 million in equipment and processes to realize improved efficiency. However, when economists projected a budget surplus for 1996, Patton agreed to invest half of it in capital projects, in exchange for using the other half for measures to improve government efficiency. Patton formed an Office for Technology and made improvements in the compatibility and interoperability of the state's computer systems that were recommended by his son, Chris. Investments of $23.3 million yielded a return of $300 million in state revenue. By the time Patton's efficiency program was fully implemented, the state was realizing an annual return of 75 cents for every dollar initially invested. In December 1996, Patton called a special legislative session to consider the issue of

worker's compensation Workers' compensation or workers' comp is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue his or her emp ...

reform.Ellers, p. 66 Both Patton and the state's legislators believed that the generous benefits, provided under Kentucky state law, created an unfavorable business climate in the state.Blanchard, p. 256 The reform measures adopted in the special session included a substantial reduction in benefits, including those to coal miners who developed black lung disease. Patton's support of this measure alienated labor leaders, especially in eastern Kentucky's coal mining communities – which had previously been among his strongest supporters. As the law began to take effect, Patton, himself, agreed that it had gone too far, and his Secretary of Labor worked with representatives from organized labor to draft changes in the law.Ellers, p. 69 Those changes were eventually made in the 2002 legislative session.

=Education reform

= In the 1997 legislature, Patton began his mission of reforming the state's system of higher education.Blanchard, p. 257 Noting that the state's

s, under the control of the University of Kentucky and

s, under the control of the state government, were too often competing with each other in the same community, he proposed removing the community colleges from the university's control.Ellers, p. 72 Part of the plan was upgrading the technical schools to colleges, allowing them to award

associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

s, not just diplomas and certificates.Ellers, p. 81 Control of the community and technical colleges would be invested in a new entity, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. Patton believed that severing the community colleges from the University of Kentucky would allow the university to reallocate resources toward becoming a "Top 20" research university in the nation. The plan also charged the

with becoming a nationally recognized urban university. The state's Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) would help eliminate duplication of programs among the colleges and oversee the improvements in the state's two major universities. In addition, the CPE was to oversee the formation of a "Commonwealth Virtual University" that would serve as a clearinghouse for all the distance learning opportunities offered by the colleges and universities of Kentucky. The new CPE president, Gordon K. Davies, appointed former University of Kentucky engineering faculty and then Databeam Corp. co-founder Lee T. Todd to chair the new Distance Learning Task Force which created the Kentucky Virtual University (now the Kentucky Virtual Campus) and the Kentucky Virtual Library, and worked with the

Kentucky Department of Education The Kentucky Department of Education (KY DOE) is an agency within the government of Kentucky that is responsible for regulating education in the state. History The Kentucky Department of Education became an official organization in 1924.Board ...

to create the Kentucky Virtual High School (now the Kentucky Virtual Schools). Patton's plan was outlined in the Kentucky Postsecondary Education Improvement Act of 1997, nicknamed House Bill 1. While supported by the state's smaller, regional universities, House Bill 1 immediately drew the ire of University of Kentucky president Charles T. Wethington Jr.Ellers, p. 82 Before becoming university president, Wethington had administered the community-college system. Most of the community colleges and the constituencies in their communities also opposed the plan. The university and the community colleges ran advertisements, encouraging opposition to the plan; Patton characterized these ads as "mean". Patton was disappointed when Greg Stumbo, a leader in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a ...

and former advocate of an independent community-college system, announced his opposition the plan. Stumbo represented the community of Prestonsburg, an eastern Kentucky coal mining town, and Patton surmised that he was still angry about the worker's compensation bill. Prestonsburg was also the home of Prestonsburg Community College (now Big Sandy Community and Technical College). In the face of this opposition, Patton negotiated with individual legislators, until he was convinced that he had a majority in both houses of the

Kentucky General Assembly The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It comprises the Kentucky Senate and the Kentucky House of Representatives. The General Assembly meets annually in th ...

. He, then, pushed forward and was able to get the legislation passed.Blanchard, p. 258 In addition to this victory, Patton also secured passage of other higher education measures. In the 1998 legislative session, he proposed a $100 million bond issue to fund the Research Challenge Trust Fund, a fund that the state's universities could tap to hire researchers for special projects. The program, later nicknamed "Bucks for Brains,” required the universities to

match A match is a tool for starting a fire. Typically, matches are made of small wooden sticks or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by friction generated by striking the match against a suitable surface. Wooden matc ...

any resources leveraged from the fund, dollar-for-dollar. The 1998 legislature also approved funding for the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) program, which channeled money from the

Kentucky Lottery The Kentucky Lottery, began in April 1989 after a November 1988 vote in which over 60% of voters cast ballots in favor of it. On April 4, 1989, ticket sales began at over 5,000 licensed retailers with over $5 million in sales on the first day. Ken ...

into a special fund for scholarships. To qualify for a KEES scholarship, students have to score at least a 2.5

in high school and attend a college or university in Kentucky. Awards are made on a sliding scale, with factors such as high school grades, scores on college entrance exams, and continued academic success in college affecting the amount of the award, which is renewable for up to eight college terms. Patton's education reforms were not confined to higher education. He also sought to make changes to the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) that would mollify its critics, without gutting the law, itself. One of the major complaints, regarding KERA, was the inability to compare the scores to those from other states, to determine progress relative to the rest of the nation. Opponents of KERA in the Senate passed a bill to eliminate the testing, until something better could be implemented. In the House, a more moderate measure was advanced, which added a component to the testing system that would allow students to be compared to national norms. Patton supported the House version of the bill, which ultimately emerged from the

conference committee A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly or other form of organization. A committee may not itself be considered to be a form of assembly or a decision-making body. Usually, an assembly o ...

and was enacted into law. The administration's strong support of KERA kept the legislation from being seriously challenged, again, during Patton's term. One notable exception occurred in 2000, when legislators tried to repeal the anti-

nepotism Nepotism is the act of granting an In-group favoritism, advantage, privilege, or position to Kinship, relatives in an occupation or field. These fields can include business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, religion or health care. In ...

provision regarding school hiring. The measure passed both houses of the legislature, but Patton vetoed it. The passage of his higher education reforms led to Patton becoming the chairman of the

Southern Regional Education Board The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that works to improve education at every level in its 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, M ...

from 1997 to 1998. In 1999, he was chosen chairman of the Education Commission of the States. Other educational organizations, then, sought Patton's leadership; he chaired the National Education Goals Panel and was chosen by the U.S. Secretary of Education to lead a commission to study the high-school senior year. In the 1998 legislative session, the state enjoyed a $200 million budget surplus. Patton was able to distribute this surplus to legislative allies, giving him substantial leverage for his proposals. As one legislative leader opined, "Money buys a lot of silence."Blanchard, p. 259 Legislators were also reluctant to oppose the administration for fear that Patton would be re-elected in 1999. Consequently, Patton was able to gain approval of a very ambitious legislative agenda in 1998, including tougher criminal laws, improved economic development, reform for

Medicaid Medicaid is a government program in the United States that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by U.S. state, state governments, which also h ...

, and further reform of the higher-education system. Patton also used some of the budget surplus to provide computers for public classrooms. Because of Patton's commitment to education, Kentucky was the first state in the nation to have every public school classroom wired to the Internet. Once this was accomplished, Patton charged his education secretary, Ed Ford, with developing the Kentucky Virtual High School, a system of

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

that would allow students in smaller high schools in Kentucky to have access to courses in foreign languages and other subjects offered only at larger high schools. The virtual high school was brought online m, in January 2000. The last plank in Patton's education platform was the improvement of

adult education Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained educating activities in order to gain new knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralph G. ''The Pr ...

. This issue allowed him to work with a political foe, Republican senator David L. Williams, who had been pushing for additional resources for adult education since 1997. In 1998, Patton personally chaired a task force on adult education, and 18 months later, the task force's recommendations were incorporated into a bill sponsored by Williams. The bill, which increased and equalized funding and tied continuing funds to successful performance by individual adult-education programs, passed both houses of the General Assembly, unanimously. By 2003, the number of adults completing their GED rose by 17 percent, and the number of GED recipients who matriculated to college rose from 13 percent to 18 percent.

=Criminal justice reform

= Also on Patton's agenda was a reformation of Kentucky's juvenile justice system. Under Brereton Jones, because of its system of housing and treating juvenile offenders, Kentucky had been one of only two states unable to qualify for federal grants. Among the problems cited by the Department of Justice were abuse of juveniles by state employees and failure to hold juvenile and adult offenders separately from each other. Governor Jones entered into a

consent decree A consent decree is an agreement or settlement that resolves a dispute between two parties without admission of guilt (in a criminal case) or liability (in a civil case). Most often it is such a type of settlement in the United States. The ...

, to ameliorate the situation, but his term expired before he could meaningfully address the terms of the decree. Patton went beyond the terms of the decree by implementing mandatory training for state employees who dealt with juvenile offenders and by setting up a hotline for juveniles to report abuse, anonymously. He shifted the responsibility for housing juveniles from local communities to the state, constructing nine new juvenile detention centers. In January 2001,

Janet Reno Janet Wood Reno (July 21, 1938 – November 7, 2016) was an American lawyer and public official who served as the 78th United States Attorney General, United States attorney general from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. A member of ...

proclaimed Kentucky's juvenile justice system a model for the nation. Patton did not stop with the juvenile justice system, however. He encouraged passage of a bill that required that violent offenders serve at least 85 percent of their sentences (up from the 50 percent previously mandated), while requiring that judges consider home incarceration for first-time, non-violent offenders. The bill also allowed judges to sentence criminals to life without parole; previously, life without parole for 25 years had been the harshest non-

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

sentence. The bill passed the legislature in 1999.Ellers, pp. 149–150

1999 gubernatorial election

Due to the constitutional amendment enacted under previous governor Brereton Jones, Patton became the first governor in more than 200 years eligible to succeed himself in office.

had served consecutive terms in 1796 and 1800, but the Kentucky Constitution of 1799 barred any future governor from being elected to consecutive terms. In 1796, Garrard was chosen as governor by an electoral college, not by

popular vote Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the tota ...

, and thus Patton was the first Kentucky governor to be popularly elected for consecutive terms. Patton was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Republicans nominated Peppy Martin, who many considered a weak candidate. In fact, Patton's old Republican foe, David Williams, announced he would vote for Patton over Martin.Ellers, p. 117 In the general election Patton garnered 352,099 votes, 60.6 percent of the total. Martin finished with 128,788 votes, with 88,930 votes going to third-party candidate Gatewood Galbraith. When asked why the Republicans had chosen such a weak challenger, Patton opined "They mistakenly believed I could not be beaten. They made a mistake."

Second term as governor

After the gubernatorial election in 1999, Louisville senator Dan Seum announced he would change his party affiliation from Democrat to Republican, citing his conservative voting history, including opposition to the state lottery, KERA, and abortion.Baniak and Brammer, p. A1 This switch, which Patton learned of too late to intervene, equalized the number of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.Ellers, p. 118 Six weeks later, Paducah senator Bob Leeper announced he would also change his party affiliation. Patton traveled to Paducah and met with Leeper, but he was unable to convince him to remain a Democrat. Leeper had a history of conflict with Democratic Senate President Larry Saunders, but he insisted his party switch, like Seum's, was based on political philosophy.Brammer, p. A1 Leeper's switch gave Republicans a majority in the Senate, for the first time in the state's history. David Williams was elected President of the Senate, and he held the Republican majority together, effectively. Consequently, Patton faced a difficult task in maneuvering his agenda through a divided General Assembly. The rift between Williams and Patton became permanent, during negotiations over the state budget in 1999. Patton proposed to Williams a 7-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax, with 1 cent of every 7 dedicated to counties with the most unpaved roads – usually heavily Republican counties ignored by past Democratic governors. Patton claimed Williams told him he had 10 votes in the Senate for the increase. But gas prices spiked, before the measure came to a vote in the Senate, and Williams failed to deliver his votes, after the House passed the tax. The administration and key Republican senators reached a compromise that saved Patton's budget, with tax changes that were mostly revenue-neutral. Patton believed Williams had deliberately misled him, however, and the two never reconciled. Another issue confronting both Patton and the legislature was how to spend federal funds from the

Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) was entered on November 23, 1998, originally between the four largest United States Tobacco industry, tobacco companies (Altria, Philip Morris Inc., R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, R. J. Reynolds, Brow ...

. Kentucky's share of the settlement totaled $3.5 billion over 25 years. Because tobacco was a major

cash crop A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsi ...

in Kentucky, Patton proposed that half of the settlement be used to diversify the state's farmers' crops. One-fourth of the money would support health care and anti-smoking efforts. The remaining one-fourth would address early-childhood care and education, a cause important to Patton's daughter, Nikki, an early-childhood educator. In November 2000, Kentucky voters approved a constitutional amendment providing a shorter legislative session in odd-numbered years, with longer sessions in even-numbered years.Blanchard, p. 260 Most of Patton's proposals failed, in the 2000 and 2001 legislative sessions. The economic boom that had provided ample funds for his programs, during the first term, slowed in 2001, and by 2002, the state was $800 million short of meeting its budget.Ellers, p. 152 In 2002, Republicans in the General Assembly called for an end to public campaign finance, as an economy measure.Ellers, p. 153 Calling it "welfare for politicians,” Republicans estimated that abolishing public campaign finance could save the state $30 million. Ultimately, the issue derailed the biennial budget, during the regular legislative session. In April 2002, Patton called a special legislative session to approve the budget, but legislators were still unable to agree. For the first time in the state's history, the fiscal year began without a budget. This left Patton to run the state government, for a year, without a budget in place. Besides the budget, another measure that failed to pass in the 2002 session was a bill to eliminate the death penalty for juveniles. The precedent for the juvenile death penalty had been set in the 1989

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case of '' Stanford v. Kentucky'', wherein the court ruled that Kevin Stanford could be executed for the 1981 rape, sodomy, and murder of a gas station attendant in

Jefferson County, Kentucky Jefferson County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 782,969. It is the most populous county in the commonwealth (with more than twice the population of sec ...

, even though Stanford was only 17 at the time of the crime. In 2003, Patton announced he would commute Stanford's sentence. Patton did oversee the execution of two adult prisoners, that of Harold McQueen Jr. in 1997 and Eddie Lee Harper in 1999, making him the first Kentucky governor to do so since 1962.

=Tina Conner sex scandal

= Already plagued by an uncooperative legislature, Patton's situation was exacerbated, in 2002, when it was revealed that, during his first term in office, he had engaged in an

extramarital affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or solely em ...

with a woman named Tina Conner. According to Conner, the operator of Birchtree Healthcare

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

Clinton, Kentucky Clinton is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city and the county seat of Hickman County, Kentucky, Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,388 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, a decline from 1,415 ...

, the relationship ended in 1999, but Patton continued to call her, until she completely broke off the affair in October 2001.Long, After initially denying the affair, Patton tearfully admitted to it, during a televised press conference at the Kentucky History Center on September 20, 2002. The story made Patton the object of state and national ridicule, and the subject of jokes by

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

on ''

The Tonight Show ''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has been broadcast on NBC since 1954. The program has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2 ...

''. The ''

Louisville Courier-Journal The ''Courier Journal'', also known as the ''Louisville Courier Journal'' (and informally ''The C-J'' or ''The Courier''), and called ''The Courier-Journal'' between November 8, 1868, and October 29, 2017, is a daily newspaper published in ...

'' called for Patton's resignation, stating that he was "too damaged, as a moral authority, to lead ... ndtoo powerless, as a politician, to compel."Blanchard, p. 261 Conner alleged that Patton arranged regulatory favors for the nursing home, while the affair was ongoing. Two months after Conner said she ended the affair, Birchtree Healthcare was cited by state regulators for numerous violations of health and safety rules. By July 2002, the state had pulled all Medicare and Medicaid payments from the facility, which soon went bankrupt. Conner further alleged that the state investigation of Birchtree was retaliation, by Patton, for her ending of the affair. In a separate incident, Conner claimed that Patton helped a construction company she owned obtain certification as a disadvantaged business, which gave the company special preference when bidding for state contracts. The affair appeared to take a toll on Patton's marriage. His wife, Judi, was reported to be living in separate quarters in the governor's mansion and was rarely seen in public with him. Patton had risen to national prominence, successively chairing the Southern Governors Association, the

Democratic Governors Association The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) is a Washington, D.C.–based 527 organization founded in 1983, consisting of U.S. state and territorial List of current United States governors, governors affiliated with the Democratic Party (United St ...

, and the

National Governors Association The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American Politics of the United States, political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 U.S. state, states, Territories of the United States, territories ...

(NGA). He was serving as NGA chair, at the time the Tina Conner scandal broke, and he planned to resign his chairmanship in November 2002.Ellers, p. 165 Nevertheless, the other governors rallied around him, convincing him to remain in the position. Together, with his Republican vice-chair,

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

's Dirk Kempthorne, Patton led the NGA effectively, securing federal funding to shore up state budgets and keeping the caucus from a partisan split in a vote over Medicaid.Ellers, p. 166 Conner filed suit against Patton, in September 2002. By late 2003, all but one of her charges against Patton had been dismissed; the remaining charge alleged "outrageous" conduct.Ellers, p. 181 In March 2003, the state's Executive Branch Ethics Commission investigated Conner's claims and accused Patton of four ethics violations, charging that he "used or attempted to use his official position" to provide favors for Conner. The favors included contacting the state transportation secretary, with regard to Conner's disadvantaged business application, recommending a promotion for an officer who allegedly helped Conner avoid paying a traffic ticket, appointing Conner to the board of directors for the Kentucky Lottery, and appointing Conner's then-husband to the Agricultural Development Board.Ellers, p. 182 Patton claimed that the favors he requested for Conner were the same kind of favors that he had requested for dozens of influential constituents. He also claimed he had not profited, financially, from any of the requested favors. He maintained that his attitude toward constituent services was "If you can do so legally and ethically, help them." Tina Conner's final claim against Patton – for "outrage" – was dismissed by a judge in May 2006.Ortiz, p. D6 In October 2006, Conner filed a second lawsuit against Patton, alleging misconduct by a public official and government oppression; a Franklin County judge dismissed the suit, claiming it was an attempt, by Conner, to re-litigate the claims from her first suit.

=Loss of legislative influence

= Because of the deteriorating national economic situation, Kentucky faced a severe budget shortfall, in 2003.Ellers, p. 163 Patton proposed an overhaul of the state tax system, whereby tax revenue would keep pace with the state's eventual economic recovery. However, such reform would necessarily have meant tax increases, and with the 2003 gubernatorial election looming, legislators from both parties strictly stuck to a pledge not to raise taxes.Ellers, p. 164 Consequently, in the 2003 legislative session, members of the General Assembly crafted a budget that completely disregarded any input from Patton. The budget included repealing the campaign finance reform bill, passed a decade earlier. Patton conceded "I have lost any ability to influence the legislature."

=Patronage accusations

= During his final months in office, Patton drew criticism for abusing his patronage power.Blanchard, p. 262 Critics charged that he had appointed several of his family and friends who were in non-merit system jobs to

merit system The merit system is the process of promoting and hiring government employees based on their ability to perform a job, rather than on their political connections. It is the opposite of the spoils system. History The earliest known example of a ...

positions, increasing their chances of being retained when a new administration took over.Ellers, p. 184 These charges were particularly damaging because, earlier in the year, the General Assembly had ordered Patton to cut 800 non-merit positions to help balance the budget. The ''

'' opined that these charges were more serious than those of the Conner affair. Patton maintained that his friends had followed proper personnel protocol, in applying for and securing merit positions.

=Campaign finance pardons

= In June 2003, Patton issued pardons to four men who were under indictment for violating campaign finance laws during the 1995 gubernatorial race. The indictments stemmed from charges by then-candidate Larry Forgy that Patton had skirted campaign finance laws by coordinating expenditures with the Teamsters and the state Democratic Party. A Franklin County

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

returned the indictments in 1998, but a circuit court judge dismissed them, in 1999, on grounds that the campaign finance law was too vague. An appeals court reversed that decision, the following year, and in 2003, the

Kentucky Supreme Court The Kentucky Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Prior to its creation by constitutional amendment in 1975, the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of Ap ...

upheld the indictments by a vote of 5–1.Ellers, p. 185 The Supreme Court of the United States refused to hear an appeal on June 13, 2003. Two days later, Patton issued pardons for all four men. State attorney general

Ben Chandler Albert Benjamin Chandler III (born September 12, 1959) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, United States representative for from 2004 to 2013. A United States Democratic Party, Democrat, ...

lamented that the pardons would eliminate the possibility of determining whether Patton won the 1995 contest "honestly and openly.”

Later career

Patton had publicly stated that he was planning a run against Republican U.S. Senator

Jim Bunning James Paul David Bunning (October 23, 1931 – May 26, 2017) was an American professional baseball pitcher and politician from Kentucky who served in both chambers of the United States Congress, a member of the United States House of Representati ...

, in 2004, but the scandals that plagued him, near the end of his administration, derailed those plans.Kinney, p. 1K He retired to

, after the election of his successor, Republican

Ernie Fletcher Ernest Lee Fletcher (born November 12, 1952) is an American physician and politician who was the List of governors of Kentucky, 60th governor of Kentucky from 2003 to 2007. He previously served three consecutive terms in the United States House ...

. He became a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Pikeville, a member of the Big Sandy Regional Economic Development Board, and chairman of the Pikeville/Pike County Industrial and Economic Authority. Governor Ernie Fletcher renamed a section of U.S. Route 119, in eastern Kentucky, as the Paul E. Patton Highway at a ceremony on October 30, 2008.Jafari, p. A6 On February 1, 2009, Patton was chosen chairman of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE).Paul Patton Bio
". Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education On August 12, 2009, he was announced as the next president of Pikeville College (now, the University of Pikeville).
". WYMT In September 2009, the Executive Branch Ethics Commission issued an advisory opinion that Patton could serve in both roles without a significant

conflict of interest A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization is involved in multiple wikt:interest#Noun, interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one interest could involve working against another. Typically, this relates t ...

, because the CPE wields scant oversight of Kentucky's private colleges.Rodriguez,
Patton to be reappointed as state council head
" Patton was advised to allow someone other than himself to be the official liaison between the University of Pikeville and the CPE and to recuse himself from CPE discussions on matters "that directly involve his private institution or that would affect his institution, differently, than any other similarly situated private postsecondary institution."

University of Pikeville

Patton was formally installed as president of the University of Pikeville on February 16, 2010.Sparkman,

He also serves as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Public Policy and Leadership. As president, Patton oversaw the construction of the Expo Center, a new facility to house the university's indoor sports; in 2011, the center's basketball court was named Paul E. Patton Court."Patton receives surprise induction into UPIKE Athletics Hall of Fame". ''The Floyd County Times'' In late 2011, Patton announced that he and Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives Greg Stumbo would ask the General Assembly to consider adding the University of Pikeville as the ninth state-supported university in the Kentucky university system.Loftus, "Paul Patton resigns from Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education" On December 30, 2011, he announced his resignation from the Council on Postsecondary Education, to avoid any potential accusations of a conflict of interest regarding the proposal in the 2012 General Assembly. In 2013, Patton announced he would step down as president of the university and instead serve as chancellor."Next president at UPike talks about goals". ''Appalachian News-Express'' Because of his longstanding support of the university's athletics programs, he was inducted into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame, in 2014. In January 2015, the university announced it would move its teacher training program out of the College of Arts and Sciences, creating the new Patton College of Education."University of Pikeville to open new Patton College of Education". ''Lexington Herald-Leader'' The college was scheduled to open for the fall 2015 semester.

Personal life

Following his sophomore year of college, he married Carol Cooley, daughter of a

Floyd County, Kentucky Floyd County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 35,942. Its county seat is Prestonsburg, Kentucky, Prestonsburg. The county, founded in ...

, coal mine operator.Mueller, p. A1 They had two children together – Nikki and Christopher.Blanchard, p. 252

References

Citations

Works cited

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External links

Members of Patton Administration
* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, Paul E. 1937 births American businesspeople in the coal industry American Presbyterians County judges in Kentucky Democratic Party governors of Kentucky Lieutenant governors of Kentucky Living people People from Lawrence County, Kentucky People from Pikeville, Kentucky Presidents of the University of Pikeville State cabinet secretaries of Kentucky University of Kentucky College of Engineering alumni 20th-century Kentucky politicians