Isaac Lee Patterson

Isaac L. Patterson

Isaac Lee Patterson (born September 17, 1859 in Benton County , Oregon , † December 21, 1929 ) was an American politician and from 1927 to 1929 the 18th governor of the state of Oregon.

Early years and political advancement

Isaac Patterson grew up on his parents' farm and later attended Christian College in Monmouth . After that he was an employee and partner in a shop. In the following years Patterson was also active in other areas. He traded in sheep's wool and animal skins, he was a farmer and broker.

Patterson was a member of the Republican Party . In 1898 he was elected to the Oregon Senate for four years . At the same time he was head of the federal customs service in Portland . He held this office between 1898 and 1906. After that he devoted himself to his own business interests. In the years up to 1918 he was politically active only within his party. In 1918 he was re-elected to the State Senate. In the gubernatorial elections of 1922, he could not prevail in the primary elections of his party. Even so, he became President of the Republicans in Oregon in 1924. That year he was also campaign manager for Calvin Coolidge's presidential campaign in Oregon . In 1926 he was then nominated by his party as a candidate for the gubernatorial election and was able to defeat the democratic incumbent Walter M. Pierce in the elections .

Governor of Oregon

Patterson took up his new office on January 10, 1927. During his tenure, he pursued an economical budget policy. He made an improvement in the education system by building new schools. A committee has also been set up to monitor the performance of universities. Some agencies have been reformed and control of the prisons has been transferred from the governor to a specially established State Board of Control . The governor also continued the expansion of the road network in Oregon, which his predecessors had already started.

Isaac Patterson died unexpectedly on December 21, 1929 while still in office of pneumonia. He was married to Mary E. Woodworth, with whom he had two children.

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personal data
SURNAME	Patterson, Isaac Lee
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	September 17, 1859
PLACE OF BIRTH	Benton County , Oregon
DATE OF DEATH	December 21, 1929