Paul E. Patton

Paul E. Patton, 2013

Paul E. Patton (born May 26, 1937 in Fallsburg , Lawrence County , Kentucky ) is an American politician ( Democratic Party ) and former governor of the state of Kentucky.

Early years and political advancement

Paul Patton graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1959 . For the next 20 years he worked in coal mining. His political career began in 1979 when he was given the post of Deputy Secretary for Transportation , roughly equivalent to a department head in the Department of Transportation. Between 1981 and 1991 he was District Administrator ( Judge Executive ) in Pike County , where he reorganized the garbage collection. In 1987 he applied for his party's nomination for the office of lieutenant governor , but was already eliminated from the primaries. Four years later he reapplied for this post, was finally nominated with a narrow majority and later also elected. With this election, he resigned from office in Pike County. In addition to the post of lieutenant governor under Governor Brereton Jones , Patton also held the office of Secretary of Economical Development . This made him the first lieutenant governor of Kentucky who was also a member of the cabinet. He was also the last lieutenant governor to be elected separately. After a constitutional reform in those years, the candidates for both offices are now standing for election together.

Kentucky governor

For the gubernatorial elections of 1995 Patton was nominated by his party as the top candidate and then elected with 50.9% of the vote. In accordance with the constitutional reform passed under Governor Jones, Patton was allowed to run for a second term after his four-year term in office. Patton made use of this option and was confirmed in 1999 with 60.6% of the vote. So he was between December 12, 1955 and December 9, 2003 governor of Kentucky. Thousands of jobs were created during his tenure as Patton managed to attract companies to Kentucky and open new manufacturing facilities there. This also promoted the economic growth of the state. In addition, he advocated further expansion of the education system. Patton was a member of several commissions and governors' associations.

After the end of his term in office, he had originally thought of continuing his political career. However, a scandal over an extramarital affair with the head of a nurses home put an end to these plans. Since then he has lived in Pikeville in retirement.

Web links

• Paul Patton in the National Governors Association (English)