Thomas MacDonald Patterson (November 4, 1839 – July 23, 1916) was an American politician and newspaper publisher who served as a member of the

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

and

United States House of Representatives 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

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

Early life

Thomas MacDonald Patterson was born in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county located in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region of Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. Carlow is the List of Irish counties by area, second smallest and t ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

on November 4, 1839, but his family emigrated to the United States when he was a boy, and they settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1849. A few years later, they moved to

Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville () is a city in Montgomery County, Indiana, Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The c ...

, where the young Patterson found work in a printing office and with a watchmaker and jeweler.

Career

When the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

broke out in 1861, Patterson enlisted in the Eleventh Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He returned home in 1862, and went to college first at Indiana Asbury University (now

DePauw University DePauw University ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Greencastle, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1837 as Indiana Asbury College and changed its name to DePauw University in 1884. The college has a Methodist heritage and was ...

), then at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832, by a group of Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, the institution was originally named "The Wabash Teachers Seminary an ...

. Patterson was admitted to the bar in 1867 and began his practice in Crawfordsville. In 1872, he moved to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, where he started a law practice and was city attorney in 1873 and 1874. Patterson's political career began when he became a member of 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 1874 (a post he held until 1880). He was then 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 be a Delegate from the Colorado Territory to the 44th Congress (1875–76), stepping down when the Territory became a State. James B. Belford, a Republican, was initially elected as Colorado's first Congressman, but Patterson successfully contested his election and served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 45th Congress (1877–79). Patterson chose not to stand for re-election in 1878. After leaving Congress, Patterson resumed the practice of law in

and purchased first the

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. the Monday–Friday ...

in 1890 and later the Denver Times. During these years, Patterson was twice an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor (United States), governor is the head of the Executive (government), executive branch of Government of Colorado, Colorado's state government and is cha ...

including in 1888, when he was defeated by Republican

Job Adams Cooper Job Adams Cooper (November 6, 1843 – January 20, 1899) was a U.S. Republican Party politician. He served as the sixth governor of the State of Colorado from 1889 to 1891. Early life Job Adams Cooper was born in Greenville, Illinois, to Char ...

. Patterson returned to national politics in 1900 when he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate, serving a single term (1901–1907) and refusing to stand for re-election. While a senator, Patterson served on the

United States Senate Committee on the Philippines The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to ...

, which investigated alleged war crimes committed during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. After leaving the Senate, Patterson published his newspaper until his death.

Death

Patterson died at his home in Denver on July 23, 1916. His remains are interred in Fairmount Cemetery.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Thomas Macdonald 1839 births 1916 deaths Politicians from County Carlow Irish emigrants to the United States Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Democratic Party United States senators from Colorado American newspaper publishers (people) Rocky Mountain News people Wabash College alumni DePauw University alumni People of Indiana in the American Civil War Union army soldiers 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century Colorado politicians 20th-century United States senators 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References

External links