Robert W. Patten (1832–1913) was an American

eccentric Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-center, in geometry * Eccentricity (graph theory) of a v ...

from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington. Few people in Seattle knew much about his past and he was seen as eccentric because of his lifestyle and outrageous claims. He lived on a houseboat, walked around town with an umbrella on his head, and spent most of his time outdoors. He claimed to have been a significant historical figure in his own right rating alongside

Buffalo Bill William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, Bison hunting, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa, Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but ...

and Kit Carson. He did become a historical figure in a different way, as a recognized part of Seattle's cultural landscape, especially after cartoonist Dok Hager created a daily comic featuring his image. He was known as ''Old Sport'' or ''the Umbrella Man''.

The man

Born in New York in 1832, Robert W. Patten served in the Civil War, from which he drew a small pension. While prospecting in Mexico, he devised his signature hat with an umbrella mounted atop and mosquito netting tucked within. Coming to

in 1890, Patten told many colorful tales of early life. He claimed that he was born in 1811, ran away from home at age nine, was adopted by

Winnebago Winnebago can refer to: * The exonym of the Ho-Chunk tribe of Native North Americans with reservations in Nebraska, Iowa, and Wisconsin ** Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, a federally recognized tribe group in the state ** The Winnebago language of the ...

Chief Big John, and romanced the chief's daughter. Later (he said) he scouted with Kit Carson and saved John Fremont from death, for which heroics (he said)

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

made him Chief Scout of the Army, and that he later gave up the position to Buffalo Bill. As to the veracity of his claims, it may be said that the evidence is scanty. Living on a Lake Union houseboat, and supporting himself by fishing and doing odd jobs, The Umbrella Man was a colorful figure of early Seattle. Patten was well enough known that when he had a stroke in 1910, he made the front page of the '' Seattle Daily Times''.Seattle Daily Times, April 17, 1910, page 1. ''Umbrella Man stricken with apoplexy. Cartoon original very ill''.
/ref> The Times also ran a story on his life in the Old Soldiers' Home in Los Angeles.''"Old Sport" sends regards to friends. Happy in discovery of niece, original of celebrated weather cartoons enjoys life despite his affliction''.
/ref> Papers in San Jose and Seattle ran stories which documented his bigger–than–life claims.Seattle Daily Times June 8, 1901 page 8. ''Killed Black Hawk. Strange claims made by an old army scout. Robert W. Patten says he saved Fremont from starving to death—Life full of adventure, war, romance.''
/ref>San Jose Evening News, March 8, 1908, page 8. ''Man with umbrella hat worked on farm with Abraham Lincoln''.
/ref>

Military service

Patten was a Civil War Veteran. He served with the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry and was discharged July 14, 1864.Ancestry.com. U.S. National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938. Historical Register of National Homes for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, 1866-1938; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1749, 282 rolls); Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
/ref> According to the veteran's home record, he contracted rheumatism in Maryland in 1862, along with a general disability. These gave him disabled status and allowed him into the Old Soldier's Home.

The cartoon

Beginning in 1909, cartoonist John Ross "Dok" Hager drew a daily cartoon of Patten for the front page of '' Seattle Daily Times'', calling him "'Sport". With his duck sidekick named the "Kid" (who also sometimes sported an umbrella hat), the cartoon Umbrella Man dispensed wit and wisdom along with weather forecasts on the newspaper's front page. Sometimes he reflected the paper's owner's opinion, as on July 20, 1913, when he was drawn leaving town to avoid trouble with the Wobblies.

Books

The Umbrella Man was the subject of two books of collected comics and witticisms: *''The Umbrella Man'' by Dok. Lowman and Hanford Company, Seattle, Washington, 1911. *''Sport and the Kid'' by Hager, J.R. "Dok". Lowman and Hanford Company, Seattle, Washington, 1913. The Umbrella Man by DOK

References

Sources

* Paul Dorpat, "Now and Then: The Umbrella Man," The Seattle Times, Pacific Northwest Magazine, April 5, 1998 * John Russ "Dok" Hager, Sport and the Kid, (Lowman & Hanford Company, Seattle, WA, 1913).

External links

Spoon made of the Umbrella Man in 1912.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patten, Robert W. 1832 births 1913 deaths 1909 comics debuts 1913 comics endings 19th-century American people American comic strips American comics characters Comics based on real people People from Seattle