George Smith Patton (September 30, 1856 – June 10, 1927) was an American attorney, businessman and politician who served as

Los Angeles County District Attorney The District Attorney of Los Angeles County is in charge of the office that prosecutes felony and misdemeanor crimes that occur within Los Angeles County, California, United States. The current district attorney (DA) is George Gascón. Some ...

and the first mayor of

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househol ...

. Patton was the son of Susan Thornton Glassell and George S. Patton Sr., a Confederate colonel during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. His mother moved to California after his father was killed during the war, and Patton was educated in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. He returned to Virginia to attend

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mil ...

, from which he graduated in 1877. After studying law at his uncle's firm, he was admitted to the bar and practiced in Los Angeles. He served in local offices including school board member and was county district attorney in 1887. Patton married the daughter of

Benjamin Davis Wilson Benjamin Davis Wilson (December 1, 1811 – March 11, 1878), commonly known as Don Benito Wilson,Excerpt: ''"Wilson, now known as Don Benito, became a Californio – that group of Mexicans and Angols who thought of themselves as Californians rathe ...

, one of California's wealthiest men, and moved with his family to a San Gabriel estate called Lake Vineyard. He was active in politics as a Democrat and made unsuccessful races for Congress in 1894 and 1896. When San Marino was incorporated as a city separate from San Gabriel, he was elected San Marino's first mayor, a post he held from 1913 to 1922 and 1922 to 1924. In 1916 he was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator. A longtime friend of Henry E. Huntington, in 1902 Patton became an executive in Huntington's real estate development company, and played a major role in developing the San Gabriel Valley and other areas of southern California. He died in San Marino in 1927, and was buried at San Gabriel Cemetery in San Gabriel. Patton was the father of two children, including General George S. Patton.

Early life

Patton was born as George William Patton in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 2020 census and an estimated population of 48,018 in 2021. The Charleston ...

(then

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

) on September 30, 1856. Patton's parents were George S. Patton Sr. and Susan Thornton Glassell. Patton's father served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fightin ...

and attained the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

as commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment. By some accounts, he had been recommended for advancement to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

, but was killed at the Battle of Opequon (Third Battle of Winchester) before the promotion was acted on. His brother Waller T. Patton, Patton's

uncle An uncle is usually defined as a male relative who is a sibling of a parent or married to a sibling of a parent. Uncles who are related by birth are second-degree relatives. The female counterpart of an uncle is an aunt, and the reciprocal rela ...

, was a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army, and commanded the 7th Virginia Infantry until he was wounded at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the ...

and died several weeks later. Patton's mother moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the mo ...

with her four children in 1866 to live near her brother, Andrew Glassell, and she later married Hugh Smith, Glassell's partner in the Glassell & Smith law firm. Patton was raised to follow in his father's footsteps and in 1868, he chose to have his middle name changed from William to Smith, his father's middle name.

Education

Patton was educated in the public schools of Los Angeles. In 1873, he returned to Virginia to begin attendance at the

, taking advantage of a scholarship offered to the sons of Confederate officers who died in service. He graduated in 1877, and was a member of the

Beta Theta Pi Beta Theta Pi (), commonly known as Beta, is a North American social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. One of North America's oldest fraternities, as of 2022 i ...

fraternity and the class valedictorian. He remained at the school for a year as an instructor of Latin, then returned to California to study law at Glassell & Smith.

Career

Patton was admitted to the bar in 1880 and practiced in Los Angeles as a member of his family's law firm, now renamed Glassell, Smith and Patton. According to some sources, he served as the first

City Attorney A city attorney is a position in city and municipal government in the United States. The city attorney is the attorney representing the municipality. Unlike a district attorney or public defender, who usually handles criminal cases, a city att ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, but the city's records for its officeholders do not include his name. In 1882, Patton was elected to a seat on the Los Angeles board of education and he served as the board's secretary. Patton also became active in the

California National Guard The California National Guard is part of the National Guard of the United States, a dual federal-state military reserve force. The CA National Guard has three components: the CA Army National Guard, CA Air National Guard, and CA State Guard. ...

, and was appointed inspector of the 1st Brigade with the rank of

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicat ...

. In January 1887, he became

and he served until resigning in April 1887 because of ill health. The Patton family later moved to Lake Vineyard, a large landholding in

San Gabriel, California San Gabriel ( Spanish for " St. Gabriel") is a city located in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the population was 39,718. San Gabriel was founded by the Spanish in 1771, when Mission San Gabriel ...

, where they grew oranges, operated a winery, and raised other crops. In 1894, Patton was the Democratic nominee for the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from California's 6th District and lost to Republican James McLaclan. In 1896, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 6th District. After he and another candidate were tied for several ballots, both withdrew in favor of a compromise choice, Harry W. Patton (no relation). Patton was a longtime friend and neighbor of businessman Henry E. Huntington.William B. Friedricks
Henry E. Huntington and the Creation of Southern California
1992, pages 58-59 Beginning in 1902, Patton worked as an executive for Huntington's real estate development company, which was responsible for construction and settlement in much of the San Gabriel Valley, and extended throughout southern California. In 1913 the city of

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

was incorporated separately from San Gabriel, and Patton was elected the first mayor of San Marino.City of San Marino
Mayors of San Marino 1913 - Present
2014, page 1 He served from April 1913 to April 1922, and again from October 1922 to August 1924. Patton was the 1916 Democratic nominee for

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

from California. Running as a conservative opposed to

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

and other reforms, on November 7, 1916, Patton lost the general election to

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the Governor of California, 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917. Johnson achieved national prominence in the early 20th century ...

, a progressive Republican.

Family

In 1884, Patton married Ruth Wilson, daughter of

, a prominent landowner, businessman, and politician, and Margaret (Hereford) Wilson. They had two children, army general

George S. Patton George Smith Patton Jr. (November 11, 1885 – December 21, 1945) was a general in the United States Army who commanded the Seventh United States Army in the Mediterranean Theater of World War II, and the Third United States Army in Franc ...

and Anne Wilson "Nita" Patton (1887-1971).

Death

On June 10, 1927, Patton died at his Lake Vineyard home in San Marino. He was buried at San Gabriel Cemetery in

.San Gabriel Cemetery Association
Burial Record, George Smith Patton (1856-1927)
retrieved July 1, 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patton, George S. 1856 births 1927 deaths Patton family Mayors of places in California District attorneys in California California Democrats George S. Patton People from the San Gabriel Valley Politicians from Charleston, West Virginia Virginia Military Institute alumni Burials in California Lawyers from Charleston, West Virginia California National Guard personnel School board members in California