John Malcolm Patterson was the son of Albert Patterson, who was assassinated outside of his law office in Phenix City, Alabama shortly after he had won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a campaign agenda of elimination of corruption that had existed in the city for over 100 years.
Born on September 27, 1921, John served in WWII enlisting in 1940 in the U.S. Army as a private. He rose through the ranks to attain the rank of Major with a Bronze Star in 1945.
He graduated from law school at the University of Alabama in 1949 and joined his father’s law practice in Phenix City. Recalled to the military during the Korean Conflict in December, 1953, he later rejoined his father’s law practice.
After his father was killed on June 18, 1954, John was elected State Attorney General in 1955.
John Patterson campaigned for governor on three main issues in 1958.
1) The cleanup of Phenix City
2) Investigations of corruption in the second administration of governor James E. Folsom, Jr. and
3) Legal attempts to prevent desegregation
Although he was a populist and attempted reform in the areas of property tax assessment and education it is in his dedicated fight against integration that he is best remembered. In that capacity, he clashed with the John F. Kennedy administration over the handling of the Freedom Riders who came to Alabama to assist in desegregation efforts.
In 1958 he vigorously opposed mixing of the races and he was able to portray George C. Wallace as a moderate on the subject.
After his defeat, Wallace is alleged to have stated that “this will be the last time I will be out n_ _ _ _ _ _ _ in a political campaign” and assumed the hard line against integration which would ultimately lead to national prominence on that single issue.
Patterson won the run off with Wallace and received 55% of the vote with support of the Klu Klux Klan, organized labor and working class white votes.
When he entered the Governor’s office, he fought hard for improving education and the revision of the property tax assessment program with limited success.
After he left office he was part of the trio of himself, Ryan deGraffenried, and U.S. Senator John Sparkman that fought the Alabama Senate's passage of the successor amendment which would have allowed a Governor to serve two consecutive terms of office.
This political fight affected Alabama politics for many years and led to the defeat of many Patterson supporters in the Alabama Legislature.
Patterson ran for the Alabama Supreme Court in 1970 but lost to future U.S. Senator Howell Heflin of Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Governor George Wallace in 1984 appointed John to the intermediate Court of Criminal Appeals where he was elected for two terms and retired in 1997.
When ouster proceedings were filed against controversial Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore he was sworn in as Special Chief Justice where he presided over the court that upheld the decision of the Alabama Court of Judiciary to remove Moore from judicial office.
After completing this public service he retired to his place of birth in Goldville on the family farm.
In 2008 the University of Alabama Press published Gene Howard’s, Patterson for Alabama: The Life and Career of John Patterson.
------
Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com