Robert Patterson (May 20, 1743 – July 22, 1824) was an American educator and director of the

United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...

. He was born on a lease-held farm near Hillsborough, County Down,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, emigrated to the North American British colonies in 1768, and lived for a time in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. In 1774, he became principal of an academy in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. A

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

in the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, after the

battles of Lexington and Concord The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord ...

he began instructing his students in military matters and served as

adjutant Adjutant is a military appointment given to an officer who assists the commanding officer with unit administration, mostly the management of human resources in an army unit. The term is used in French-speaking armed forces as a non-commission ...

in a local company of the Delaware militia. When classes were suspended because of the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

, he returned to

Greenwich Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey Greenwich Township () is the westernmost township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 804, reflecting a decline of 43 (−5.1%) from the 847 counted in the 2000 C ...

, where he had earlier lived, and hastily received enough training to serve as an assistant surgeon in a

New Jersey militia The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776 The first two ...

company. Militia service was not a full-time activity, but he frequently served in the field for nearly three years, and was appointed a

brigade major A brigade major was the chief of staff of a brigade in the British Army. They most commonly held the rank of major, although the appointment was also held by captains, and was head of the brigade's "G - Operations and Intelligence" section direct ...

. From 1779 to 1814, he was professor of mathematics in the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, being also serving as vice provost from 1810 to 1813. In 1805, without solicitation,

President Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

appointed him director of the mint, which position he held until a short time before his death. Always actively interested in the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

, he was elected a member in 1783 and served as its president from 1819 until his death. He published ''The Newtonian System'' (1808) and edited various works on mathematics and

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

. His son, Robert M. Patterson, followed in his footsteps, also becoming director of the mint and teaching at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1803, after Jefferson's urging, Patterson taught

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

the refinements of computing latitude and longitude for the upcoming

Lewis and Clark Expedition The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

References

Entry
from the ''

New International Encyclopedia ''The New International Encyclopedia'' was an American encyclopedia first published in 1902 by Dodd, Mead and Company. It descended from the ''International Cyclopaedia'' (1884) and was updated in 1906, 1914 and 1926. History ''The New Intern ...

''. *Du Bois, William Ewing
''A Record of the Families of Robert Patterson....''
1847. Accessed via

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Robert 1743 births 1824 deaths Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia) People from Hillsborough, County Down Directors of the United States Mint Kingdom of Ireland emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies New Jersey militiamen in the American Revolution Educators from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania faculty Members of the American Philosophical Society People of colonial Pennsylvania People from Greenwich Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey Jefferson administration personnel Madison administration personnel Monroe administration personnel