George W. Patterson (December 16, 1857 – February 7, 1932) was an American businessman and politician in the U.S. state of Oregon. A native of Ohio, he was a Republican member of the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

in the 1890s.

Early life

George W. Patterson was born on December 16, 1857, in Belmont County, Ohio, to David Patterson and Eunice Starbuck. About 1879 he moved to Oregon, settling in Washington County at Hillsboro. In Hillsboro, he established himself as an undertaker, contractor, carpenter, and furniture dealer. Patterson also served as president of the Hillsboro Club. In 1879, Patterson married Charlotte Wehrung, daughter of Henry Wehrung on November 19, and they had two children. He purchased a lot at Fifth and Southeast Washington Street in downtown Hillsboro from his new father-in-law in 1880 and built a new home. In time, Patterson became president of the Hillsboro Furniture and Hardware Company.

Political career

On December 5, 1881, he started his political career when he was elected to the Hillsboro Board of Trustees (now city council).City Council: City Councilor History.
City of Hillsboro. Retrieved on January 4, 2011. He was re-elected the next year, but the following year he was not re-elected during the city's main election. Instead, there was a vacant seat after the December 8, 1883, election, so Patterson was elected on December 10 to fill the seat, although he resigned on April 4, 1884, and was replaced by

Charles T. Tozier Charles True Tozier (November 7, 1832 – July 6, 1899) was an American politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Indiana, he moved to Oregon in 1863 and served as the second mayor of the city of Hillsboro and in the Oregon House of Repre ...

. Patterson then served six years as the treasurer for Hillsboro, and five year as a school director. A Republican, he won election to the

in 1896 representing District 6 that included Columbia, Tillamook, and Washington counties. In the Senate, he served on the Horticulture Committee, Railroads Committee, and in 1899 was chair of the committee on enrolled bills. Patterson remained in the Senate through the 1899 Legislature. In January 1899, he sponsored a bill to incorporate what was then the Town of Hillsboro, which was signed into law on February 7.

Later life and death

He also owned land near

Yamhill, Oregon Yamhill is a city in Yamhill County, Oregon, United States. Located in the northern part of the county, it is situated at the intersection of Oregon Route 47 and Oregon Route 240. The population was 1,024 at the 2010 census. Originally named N ...

, and

Terrebonne, Oregon Terrebonne is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is part of the Bend, Oregon Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,257 at the 2010 census. Geography Terreb ...

. Wife Charlotte died on October 24, 1926. George Patterson died on February 7, 1932, in Everett, Washington, at the age of 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, George W. 1857 births 1932 deaths People from Belmont County, Ohio Hillsboro City Council members (Oregon) Republican Party Oregon state senators Businesspeople from Oregon