Thomas MacDonald Patterson (November 4, 1839 – July 23, 1916) was an American politician and newspaper publisher who served as a member of 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 ...

and

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 ...

from

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

Early life

Patterson was born in

County Carlow County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...

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 ...

, but his family emigrated to the United States when he was a boy, and they settled in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1849. A few years later, they moved to

Crawfordsville, Indiana Crawfordsville is a city in Montgomery County in west central Indiana, United States, west by northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,306. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County, the only cha ...

, where the young Patterson found work in a printing office and with a watchmaker and jeweler.

Career

When 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 ...

broke out in 1861, Patterson enlisted in the Eleventh Regiment of the Indiana Volunteer Infantry. He returned home in 1862, and went to college first at Indiana Asbury University (now

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

), then at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cur ...

. Patterson was admitted to the bar in 1867 and began his practice in Crawfordsville. In 1872, he moved to

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he started a law practice and was city attorney in 1873 and 1874. Patterson's political career began when he became a member of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

in 1874 (a post he held until 1880). He was then elected 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 ...

to be a Delegate from the Colorado Territory to the 44th Congress (1875–76), stepping down when the Territory became a State. James B. Belford, a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, was initially elected as Colorado's first Congressman, but Patterson successfully contested his election and served in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 45th Congress (1877–79). Patterson chose not to stand for re-election in 1878. After leaving Congress, Patterson resumed the practice of law in

and purchased first the

Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United States, from April 23, 1859, until February 27, 2009. It was owned by the E. W. Scripps Company from 1926 until its closing. As ...

in 1890 and later the

Denver Times The Denver Times was a daily newspaper in Denver, Colorado during 1872 to 1926. It was merged into the ''Rocky Mountain News The ''Rocky Mountain News'' (nicknamed the ''Rocky'') was a daily newspaper published in Denver, Colorado, United ...

. During these years, Patterson was twice an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for

Governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...

including in 1888, when he was defeated by Republican

Job Adams Cooper Job Adams Cooper (November 6, 1843 – January 20, 1899) was a U.S. Republican Party politician. He served as the sixth governor of the State of Colorado from 1889 to 1891. Early life Job Adams Cooper was born in Greenville, Illinois, to Charl ...

. Patterson returned to national politics in 1900 when he was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate, serving a single term (1901–1907) and refusing to stand for re-election. While a senator, Patterson served on the

United States Senate Committee on the Philippines The Committee on the Philippines was a standing committee of the United States Senate from 1899 to 1921. The committee was established by Senate resolution on December 15, 1899, to oversee administration of the Philippines, which Spain had ceded to ...

, which investigated alleged war crimes committed during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. After leaving the Senate, Patterson published his newspaper until his death.

Death

Patterson died at his home in Denver on July 23, 1916. His remains are interred in Fairmount Cemetery.

References

External links

Retrieved on 2008-02-14 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Thomas Macdonald 1839 births 1916 deaths Politicians from County Carlow Irish emigrants to the United States Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Territory Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Colorado Democratic Party United States senators from Colorado 19th-century American politicians American newspaper publishers (people) Rocky Mountain News people Wabash College alumni DePauw University alumni People of Indiana in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers 19th-century American businesspeople

Early life

Career

Death

See also

References

External links