Kay Patterson (born January 11, 1931) is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the

South Carolina Senate The South Carolina Senate is the upper house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the lower house being the South Carolina House of Representatives. It consists of 46 senators elected from single member districts for four-year terms at the sa ...

, representing the 19th District from 1985 to his retirement in 2008. He was previously a member of the

South Carolina House of Representatives The South Carolina House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly. It consists of 124 representatives elected to two-year terms at the same time as U.S. congressional elections. Unlike many legislatures, seati ...

from 1975 through 1985. Patterson was born in

Darlington County Darlington County is a county in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 62,905. Its county seat is Darlington. Hartsville is the largest city in the county. Darlington County is home to the Darlington Race ...

on January 11, 1931, the son of James and Leila Patterson, and was raised in Darlington and Sumter Counties by his grandmothers, Mrs. Meta B. Patterson and Mrs. Emma Joseph. He graduated from Lincoln High in

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. Known as the Sumter Metropolitan Statistical Area, the namesake county adjoins Clarendon and Lee to form the core of Sumter-Lee-Clarendon Tri-county (o ...

, in 1949. Senator Patterson attended

Claflin College Claflin University is a private historically black university in Orangeburg, South Carolina. Founded in 1869 after the American Civil War by northern missionaries for the education of freedmen and their children, it offers bachelor's and master ...

, now Claflin University, in 1949-1951. After he served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from 1951 to 1953 as

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

, he completed requirements for the baccalaureate degree in Social Sciences at

Allen University Allen University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Columbia, South Carolina. It has more than 600 students and still serves a predominantly Black constituency. The cam ...

in 1956. He pursued additional education at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

and attended an NDEA Institute in Black History at

Atlanta University Clark Atlanta University (CAU or Clark Atlanta) is a private, Methodist, historically black research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Clark Atlanta is the first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in the Southern United States. Founde ...

in 1963. He received the Masters of Education Degree from

South Carolina State College South Carolina State University (SCSU or SC State) is a public, historically black, land-grant university in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only public, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina, is a me ...

in 1971. Senator Patterson taught for fourteen years at W. A. Perry Middle School, C. A. Johnson Preparatory Academy, and

Benedict College Benedict College is a private historically black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by northern Baptists, it was originally a teachers' college. It has since expanded to offer majors in many disciplines across the liberal arts ...

, and served for 16 years as a UniServ Representative for the South Carolina Education Association, from which he retired in June 1986. He is a member of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church where he has served as Senior Warden of the Vestry, Secretary and Treasurer of the Vestry. Senator Patterson is active in many civic and community organizations which include the North Columbia Civic Club and life membership in the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. While a student at Claflin College (1949–1951), he joined the

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity and Edisto Lodge No. 39 Prince-Hall Masons. He served as a Commissioner on the Education Commission of the States, as a member of the State Reorganization Commission, and a member of the

Southern Regional Education Board The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, that works to improve education at every level in its 16 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, M ...

(SREB). In January 1983, he was elected by the S. C. House Education Committee to serve on the University of South Carolina Trustee Board, the first Black to serve on the Board since

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology *Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Union ...

. Senator Patterson has been an outspoken legislator championing the cause of the poor and downtrodden. He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1974, and to the Senate in 1985. In 1990, he served as Chairman of the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus. As an outspoken and fiery speaker in his practice of politics, he has been a moving force in promoting and effectuating change in the state of South Carolina. He had long been a proponent for removal of the

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

from the

South Carolina State House The South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina, which includes the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Located in t ...

dome. He was a member of the S. C. Senate from Richland County District #19, serving on the following committees: Banking & Insurance, Corrections & Penology, Education, Finance, and Transportation. Senator Patterson also served as Commissioner for the South Carolina Department of Highways & Public Transportation, and as Chairman of the Richland County Legislative Delegation. He is married to Jean James of

Pinewood, South Carolina Pinewood is a town located on South Carolina Highway 261 at the southern entrance to the High Hills of Santee in Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 538 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Sumter, South Carolin ...

, has two children — Eric and Pamela, and a grandson Eric Jr., and granddaughters, Ashley and Courtland. In 2008 Senator Patterson retired and was replaced by former State Representative John L. Scott Jr., who won a close fought victory (77 Votes to be exact) against Richland One School Board Chairmen, Vince Ford. Patterson was inducted into the Richland One Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2016, a historical marker honoring his birthplace, Round O in Darlington County, was unveiled. Also in 2016, Patterson received the inaugural

Clementa C. Pinckney Clementa Carlos "Clem" Pinckney (July 30, 1973 – June 17, 2015) was an American politician and pastor who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 45th District from 2000 until his death in 2015. He was ...

award from the South Carolina Legislative Black Caucus.

References

External links

*
South Carolina Legislature - Senator Kay Patterson
official SC Senate website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Kay Patterson (SC)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Kay Patterson
2006200420022000
campaign contributions
Honoree Senator Kay Patterson
at ''South Carolina African American History'', June 2003
Senator Kay Patterson Oral History Interview, University of South Carolina, June 23, 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Kay South Carolina state senators Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives 1931 births Living people Allen University alumni People from Darlington, South Carolina Politicians from Columbia, South Carolina