![Rufus Lenoir Patterson](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Rufus_Lenoir_Patterson.jpg)
Rufus Lenoir Patterson (June 22, 1830 – July 15, 1879) was an American businessman and politician from
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
. Born into a prominent family, Patterson received private schooling before matriculating at the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
. Electing to forgo a career in law, Patterson studied in a banking house and founded a series of mills in
Salem, North Carolina
Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The town of Sale ...
. He served on the county court and was elected to a term as
Mayor of Salem. Patterson was twice a delegate to state constitutional conventions. He was the father of
Rufus Lenoir Patterson Jr.
Biography
Rufus Lenoir Patterson was born in
Caldwell County, North Carolina
Caldwell County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As of the 2020 census, the population was 80,652. Its county seat is Lenoir. Caldwell County is part of the Hickory–L ...
on June 22, 1830, to a prominent family. He was the eldest son of
Samuel F. Patterson, a politician who was a
North Carolina State Treasurer
The North Carolina State Treasurer is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina responsible for overseeing the financial operations of state government. The current state treasurer is Dale Folwell.
The office of state treasur ...
, and the great-grandson of
Revolutionary War officer
William Lenoir. A younger brother,
Samuel L. Patterson, was a
North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture
The Commissioner of Agriculture is a statewide elected office in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The commissioner is a constitutional officer who serves as the head of the state's Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which is res ...
. Patterson split time in his youth at Caldwell County and
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...
, where his father worked. He attended the
Raleigh Academy
Raleigh Academy, also Raleigh Male Academy for a period after the American Civil War, was a prominent school in Raleigh, North Carolina that lasted about 80 years until a governor's mansion (North Carolina Executive Mansion) took over its site. It ...
then schooled under
Episcopal minister T. S. W. Mott.
Patterson graduated from the
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...
in 1851, then studied law under future
U.S. 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 c ...
John Adams Gilmer
John Adams Gilmer (November 4, 1805 – May 4, 1868) was a United States House of Representatives, Congressional Representative from North Carolina.
Gilmer was born in Guilford County, North Carolina near Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro. ...
. However, he found the study of law unappealing and, after a brief period farming at the family homestead, decided to pursue a career in business. He moved to
Greensboro
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
to study banking under Jesse H. Lindsay, his wife's uncle. With the financial backing of former
Governor of North Carolina
The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...
John Motley Morehead
John Motley Morehead (July 4, 1796 – August 27, 1866) was an American lawyer and politician who became the 29th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina (1841 to 1845). He became known as "the Father of Modern North Carolina."
Early and ...
, his father-in-law, Patterson opened a flour, cotton, and paper mill in
Salem, North Carolina
Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory–Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The town of Sale ...
.
[
The success of the mills made Patterson one of the growing town's most prominent citizens. In 1855, he was elected to the Forsyth County Court as a ]Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
, where he served for five years. Although he was disillusioned with the direction the party was heading, he nonetheless approved the state's ordinance of secession
Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics le ...
at the 1861 North Carolina Constitutional Convention. He sold his mills in 1862 and returned to Caldwell County. There, he managed his father's cotton factory in Patterson Patterson may refer to:
People
* Patterson (surname)
Places
;Canada
* Pattersons Corners, Ontario
*Patterson Township, Ontario
*Patterson, Calgary a neighbourhood in Calgary, Alberta.
;United States of America
* Patterson, Arkansas
*Patterson, C ...
until it was burned during Stoneman's 1865 Raid. Later that year he was again a delegate to the state constitutional convention.[
After the ]Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
Patterson returned to Salem. He partnered with his new brother-in-law Henry W. Fries to operate several cotton and paper mills, including the Fries Cotton Mill. They also established a general merchandise store and Patterson invested in a railroad. He served as a director of the Northwestern and Western North Carolina Railroad
Western North-Carolina Railroad Company was incorporated under act of North Carolina on February 15, 1855.Interstate Commerce Commission. ''Southern Ry. Co.'', Volume 37, Interstate Commerce Commission Valuation Reports, November 6, 1931, p. 215 ...
s. He served a term as trustee of North Carolina University in 1874. In 1875, he was elected Mayor of Salem, serving a one-year term.[
Patterson married Marie Louise Morehead in 1852. They had five children: Jesse Lindsay, Carrier F., Lettie W., Louis Morehead (died in adolescence), and a son that died in infancy. Marie died in 1862 and Patterson married Mary E. Fries two years later. They had six children: Frank F., Samuel F., Andrew H., Rufus L., John L., and Edmond V. Rufus Lenoir Patterson Jr. founded ]American Machine and Foundry
American Machine and Foundry (known after 1970 as AMF, Inc.) was one of the United States' largest recreational equipment companies, with diversified products as disparate as garden equipment, atomic reactors, and yachts.
The company was founde ...
and served as a vice president of the American Tobacco Company
The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U.S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company. The company was one of the original 12 members of ...
. In 1878, Patterson Sr., was accepted into the Moravian Church
The Moravian Church ( cs, Moravská církev), or the Moravian Brethren, formally the (Latin: "Unity of the Brethren"), is one of the oldest Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination, denominations in Christianity, dating back to the Bohem ...
. He was a frequent benefactor to his alma mater. Patterson died on July 15, 1879 and was buried at Salem Woodland Cemetery.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Rufus Lenoir
1830 births
1879 deaths
People from Caldwell County, North Carolina
Mayors of Winston-Salem, North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni
Businesspeople from North Carolina
North Carolina lawyers
19th-century American businesspeople
19th-century American lawyers
Burials at Salem Cemetery