Roscoe Conkling Patterson (September 15, 1876October 22, 1954) was an American lawyer from

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. He was most notable for his service as a

United States representative 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

(1921–1923) and a

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 powe ...

(1929–1935).

Early life

Patterson was born in

Springfield, Missouri Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Springfield metropolitan area, which had an estimat ...

on September 15, 1876. He attended public and private schools,

Drury College Drury University, formerly Drury College and originally Springfield College, is a private university in Springfield, Missouri. The university's mission statement describes itself as "church-related". It enrolls about 1,700 undergraduate and grad ...

, (Springfield) and the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

in Columbia. He graduated from

Washington University School of Law Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashULaw) is the law school of Washington University in St. Louis, a private university in St. Louis, Missouri. WashULaw has consistently ranked among the top law schools in the country; it is ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

in 1897, was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

later that year, and commenced practice in Springfield.

Start of career

From 1903 to 1907, Patterson served as

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...

of Greene County. In 1912, Patterson was appointed to the Missouri Republican State Committee, and he served until 1920. Patterson was elected to 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 ...

in 1920 and served in the

67th Congress The 67th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 192 ...

, March 4, 1921 to March 3, 1923. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1922 and resumed the practice of law in Springfield. He was a

presidential elector The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...

in 1924. From 1925 to 1929, Patterson resided in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and was

United States district attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the western district of Missouri. He resigned in February 1929 in preparation to assume the seat in the

United States Senate 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 pow ...

to which he was elected in November 1928.

U.S. Senate

Patterson won the general election in November 1928. He took his Senate seat the following year and served one term, March 4, 1929 to January 3, 1935. While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Mines and Mining (

72nd Congress The 72nd United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1931 ...

). His chief legislative accomplishment was sponsorship of the

Lindbergh Law Following the historic Lindbergh kidnapping (the abduction and murder of Charles Lindbergh's toddler son), the United States Congress passed a federal kidnapping statute—known as the Federal Kidnapping Act, (a)(1) (popularly known as the Lindbe ...

, which enabled federal authorities to investigate kidnappings if the victims were transported across state lines. Patterson served during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, which was largely blamed on Republican economic policies. He consistently opposed the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...

remedies of President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, which made him unpopular in Missouri. As a result, Patterson was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in the 1934 election, losing the general election to the Democratic nominee,

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

Later career

After leaving the Senate, Patterson resumed the practice of law in Springfield. For several years, Patterson was a member of the Missouri Appellate Judicial Commission.

Death and burial

Patterson suffered a stroke in July 1954. His health deteriorated and he died in Springfield on October 22, 1954. He was buried at Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield.

Family

Patterson was married to Ada Holman of Springfield (1877–1957). They were the parents of two children, Paul (1902–1924) and Hadley (1908–1958).

References

Sources

Books

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Newspapers

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External links

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Gallery of Past U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Missouri
at
United States Attorneys Office for the Western District of Missouri
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Roscoe 1876 births 1954 deaths 1924 United States presidential electors Politicians from Springfield, Missouri Washington University School of Law alumni University of Missouri alumni United States Attorneys for the Western District of Missouri Republican Party United States senators from Missouri Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri Old Right (United States) Washington University in St. Louis alumni