John Malcolm Patterson

John Malcolm Patterson (* 27. September 1921 in Goldville , Randolph County , Alabama , † 4. June 2021 ) was an American politician of the Democratic Party . He was governor of the state of Alabama from 1959 to 1963 .

Early years and political advancement

After graduating from Central High School in Phenix City in 1939 , he joined the US Army . During the Second World War , Patterson took part in seven campaigns in North Africa , Sicily , Italy , southern France and Germany . He was promoted to major shortly before his release , then went to the University of Alabama , where he received his law degree in 1949 . He had been reactivated during the Korean War , then returned to Phenix City after the war ended in 1953, where he joined his father Albert Patterson's legal practice.

Memorial to Albert Patterson at the Alabama State Capitol

With a vow to clean up crime in Phenix City - the city was especially notorious for its illegal gambling - Albert Patterson won the Democratic nomination for the office of Attorney General . Before he could take office, however, the 60-year-old lawyer was shot dead outside his office on June 18, 1954. John replaced his father as a Democratic candidate, was elected attorney general, and served for the next four years. The murder of his father and the struggle of the Pattersons against organized crime made John Malcom Patterson famous nationwide. 1955 appeared a film adaptation of the events as a film noir A City Goes Through Hell (The Phenix City Story) directed by Phil Karlson in Hollywood, in which John Malcolm Patterson was played by Richard Kiley .

Governor of Alabama

Patterson applied for the office of governor and prevailed against George C. Wallace in the primary campaign . On November 4, 1958 Patterson was elected Governor of Alabama with 88.2 percent of the vote against Republican William Longshore and sworn in on January 19, 1959. During his tenure, additional funds were raised to support the mentally ill, pensions were increased, and the first school building program in the state was approved, which resulted in 700 new projects. Construction has commenced on the State Highway Building and Industrial Relations Building, and improvements have been made to Alabama's port facilities and waterways. In addition, Huntsville was selected as the location of George C. Marshall's Space Flight Center and approval was given for a four-year highway construction project.

The civil rights movement also played a tumultuous role during his tenure. Governor Patterson was a staunch advocate of the state's segregation position, and thus clashed with President John F. Kennedy over the handling of the Freedom Riders . Patterson was (like almost all Democratic politicians from Alabama at the time) against an end to racial segregation in schools, as he considered it to be unchangeable and in accordance with the will of the majority of the population. He revised his positions in later years and in 2008 spoke out in favor of Barack Obama as US President.

Another résumé

Patterson left office on January 14, 1963 (Alabama only allowed one term as governor at the time) and returned to his practice as a lawyer in Montgomery . In 1966 he applied again for the democratic nomination as governor, but only took sixth place in the primary . He also ran for the position of chief state judge at the Alabama Supreme Court in 1972 and was also defeated by Howell Heflin . Patterson was appointed as a judge in the Alabama Court of Appeals in 1994 and remained there until his resignation in January 1997.

John Malcolm Patterson was married twice: from 1947 to the divorce in 1975 with Mary Jo McGowin, and since 1975 with Florentine Brachert Sawyer. Three children come from these connections. He lived on his farm in Goldville , Alabama and was the oldest living ex-US governor as of 2017.

Web links

Gov. John Malcolm Patterson. In: nga.org . Retrieved June 7, 2021(English).

Individual evidence

↑ Kim Chandler: Segregationist former Alabama Gov. John Patterson dies at 99. In: ABC News date = 2021-06-05. Accessed June 7, 2021 .
↑ A city goes through hell. In: Internet Movie Database . Accessed June 7, 2021 .
^ Robert D. McFadden: John M. Patterson, Segregationist Alabama Governor, Dies at 99. In: The New York Times . June 5, 2021, accessed June 6, 2021 .
↑ Tom Gordon: Former segregationist Gov. John Patterson now supports first black president. In: The Birmingham News. July 19, 2012, archived from the original on January 8, 2012 ; accessed on June 7, 2021 (English).
↑ Tim Chitwood: Murder, vengeance and memory: John Patterson recalls the Phenix City that launched his career. In: Ledger-Enquirer. June 24, 2017, accessed June 7, 2021 .

personal data
SURNAME	Patterson, John Malcolm
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American Democratic Party politician
DATE OF BIRTH	September 27, 1921
PLACE OF BIRTH	Goldville , Randolph County , Alabama
DATE OF DEATH	June 4, 2021
PLACE OF DEATH	Goldville , Randolph County , Alabama

[1] Kim Chandler: Segregationist former Alabama Gov. John Patterson dies at 99. In: ABC News date = 2021-06-05. Accessed June 7, 2021 .

[2] A city goes through hell. In: Internet Movie Database . Accessed June 7, 2021 .

[3] Robert D. McFadden: John M. Patterson, Segregationist Alabama Governor, Dies at 99. In: The New York Times . June 5, 2021, accessed June 6, 2021 .

[4] Tom Gordon: Former segregationist Gov. John Patterson now supports first black president. In: The Birmingham News. July 19, 2012, archived from the original on January 8, 2012 ; accessed on June 7, 2021 (English).

[5] Tim Chitwood: Murder, vengeance and memory: John Patterson recalls the Phenix City that launched his career. In: Ledger-Enquirer. June 24, 2017, accessed June 7, 2021 .