John M. Patton

John Mercer Patton, around 1850

John Mercer Patton (born August 10, 1797 in Fredericksburg , Virginia , † October 29, 1858 in Richmond , Virginia) was an American politician who represented the state of Virginia in the US House of Representatives between 1830 and 1838 and in March 1841 for twelve days long was governor of Virginia .

Early years

John Patton attended Princeton University for a short time and then studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Faculty of Medicine until 1818 , but without ever working in this profession. For this he studied law in Fredericksburg and practiced as a lawyer in this city after his admission.

Political career

Patton became a member of the Democratic Party founded by Andrew Jackson . After Philip Pendleton Barbour's resignation , Patton was elected to Congress in 1830 as his successor . In the following years he was confirmed in this mandate by the voters of his state. He was able to exercise it between November 25, 1830 and his resignation on April 7, 1838. Between 1835 and 1838 he was chairman of the committee that administered the US territories . On his return to Virginia he became a member and chairman of the Council of State , the later Senate of Virginia . During this time he became a member of the Whig Party . After Governor Thomas Walker Gilmer resigned after his appointment to the US Secretary of the Navy , Patton had to continue his office. In this case, that was exactly twelve days between March 18 and March 31, 1841. On this day, his presidency in the Senate and with it his term as governor ended. The office of governor went to the new Senate President John Rutherfoord .

Another résumé

After the end of his political activities Patton worked again as a lawyer. In 1846 he was on a commission that revised the laws of Virginia. According to their resolutions, Patton drafted a new code of law for Virginia by 1849. In 1854 he became a member and later President of the Board of Visitors of the Medical College of Virginia . John Patton died on October 29, 1858 in Richmond, where he had moved his residence. He had six children with his wife Margaret French William. His son George S. Patton Sr. served as a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War . Another son, Waller T. Patton, was a professor, lawyer and died as a lieutenant in the Confederate Army at the battle of Gettysburg . John M. Patton was the great grandfather of George S. Patton , who was a general in the US Army during World War II .

Web links

• John M. Patton in the National Governors Association (English)
• John M. Patton in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• John M. Patton in the database of Find a Grave (English)