Isaac Lee "Ike" Patterson, (September 17, 1859December 21, 1929) was the
18th Governor of Oregon from 1927 to 1929. An Oregon native, he served in the
Oregon Legislative Assembly
The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...
from 1918 to 1922, and was a farmer in the
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley ( ) is a long valley in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The Willamette River flows the entire length of the valley and is surrounded by mountains on three sides: the Cascade Range to the east, ...
. He was the first Oregon-born Governor of the State of Oregon.
Early life
Patterson was born on September 17, 1859 on his family's
Kings Valley estate in rural
Benton County, Oregon
Benton County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,184. Its county seat is Corvallis. The county was named after Thomas Hart Benton, a U.S. Senator who advocated American contr ...
. His parents, Francis A. and Caroline (''née'' Tatum) were emigrants to the
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Ori ...
, having made the overland trip from their previous home of
Bellevue, Illinois
Bellevue is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,978 at the 2010 census. Bellevue is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Bellevue is located at (40 ...
.
[Corning, Howard M. ''Dictionary of Oregon History''. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.] Until he reached the age of 18, he worked his father's farm. He later attended
Monmouth's Christian College
A Christian college is an educational institution or part of an educational institute dedicated to the integration of Christian faith and learning in traditional academic fields.
Christian colleges in the United States
Many Christian college ...
, for one year. Patterson supported himself as a grocery clerk in
Independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...
, later earning his way into a position there as a business partner. His participation in the grocery store lasted for 22 years. On May 12, 1886 he married the former Mary Elizabeth Woodworth, and they had two children.
[
]
Entry into politics
In 1898, Patterson entered politics, gaining election to a seat in 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 ...
representing Marion County. At the time, he was one of the youngest state legislators ever elected, having been sworn in at age 32. President William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...
appointed Patterson to the post of Collector of Customs, Portland District in 1898, and he was reappointed by Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
in 1902, serving there until 1906.
In 1899, Patterson sold off his share in the grocery store, and purchased a ranch in rural Polk County Polk County is the name of twelve counties in the United States, all except two named after president of the United States James Knox Polk:
* Polk County, Arkansas
* Polk County, Florida
* Polk County, Georgia
* Polk County, Iowa
* Polk Count ...
. The farm proved profitable, and it paved the way for Patterson's later venture into a successful wool and hide business in Portland.
After serving out his term as collector of customs, Patterson managed his business affairs and kept working politically inside the Republican Party. In 1918, the citizens of Benton and Polk Counties elected him to represent their district, returning him to the state senate. In the senate, he moved his way up and served as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
Governorship
Patterson attempted to secure the Republican nomination for governor in 1922, coming in a distant third in the primary in a five-man race.[ Despite this poor showing, Patterson had strong ties with the party's old guard. He won the chairmanship of the Oregon State Republican Party Central Committee in 1924, going on to chair Calvin Coolidge's Presidential campaign in Oregon.
His profile statewide rose, and this secured him the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 1926. He went on to defeat ]Walter M. Pierce
Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon and a member of the United States House of Representatives from . A native of Illinois, he served in the ...
in that year's general election.
Using President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
as an inspiration, Governor Patterson governed the state in a financially conservative manner; streamlining agencies of the state and vetoing legislation that threatened balancing the state's finances. By 1920, the state balanced its budget for the first time in its history. His administration continued improving state roads and highways, established the state's system of higher education, and directed the state prison system to house adult and juvenile criminals separately.
He was considered a popular and well-respected figure by rivals and supporters alike. He died suddenly died in office of pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...
on December 21, 1929, and was buried in Mount Crest Abbey Mausoleum in Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
. He was succeeded by fellow Republican senate president Albin Norblad Sr.
Sources
* Klooster, Karl. Round the Roses II: More Past Portland Perspectives, pg. 126, 1992
External links
Oregon State Archives: I.L. Patterson Administration
Photo and some public speeches of Governor I.L. Patterson.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, I. L.
Republican Party governors of Oregon
Republican Party Oregon state senators
Western Oregon University alumni
1859 births
Deaths from pneumonia in Oregon
Oregon Republican Party chairs
People from Independence, Oregon
1929 deaths
People from Benton County, Oregon
Burials at City View Cemetery