George Washington Patterson (November 11, 1799 – October 15, 1879) was an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

in the U.S. State of New York. He served as a member of 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and as Lieutenant Governor of New York.

Early life and education

Born in Londonderry,

Rockingham County, New Hampshire Rockingham County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the population was 314,176, making it New Hampshire's second-most populous county. The county seat is Brentwood. Rockingham County is part of the Boston-Ca ...

, Patterson was the youngest of twelve children born to Thomas and Elizabeth (Wallace) Patterson. He received a common school education and graduated from

Pinkerton Academy Pinkerton Academy is a secondary school in Derry, New Hampshire, United States. It serves roughly 3,269 students, making it by far the largest high school in New Hampshire, more than 1,300 students greater than the Nashua High School South, next ...

. At the age of 18, he taught school in New Hampshire for three months before moving to

Livingston, New York Livingston is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 3,628 at the 2020 census.US Census Bureau, 2020 census, Livingston town, Columbia County, New York https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cs ...

with his older brother, where they ran a successful business dealing with the manufacture and sale of fanning mills.

Career

Patterson engaged in the manufacture of fanning mills in Genesee County until 1825 when he settled in Leicester, Livingston County, New York and engaged in agricultural pursuits and the manufacture of farming implements. He was commissioner of highways of Leicester, and a justice of the peace. He served as a member of the New York State Assembly from Livingston County in 1832, 1833, and from 1835 to 1840; Patterson was

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

in 1839 and 1840. He was basin commissioner at Albany in 1839 and 1840. He moved to Westfield in 1841 to take charge of the

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

land office. He was a delegate to the

New York State Constitutional Convention The Constitution of the State of New York establishes the structure of the government of the State of New York, and enumerates the basic rights of the citizens of New York. Like most state constitutions in the United States, New York's constituti ...

in 1846. Patterson was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1849 to 1850, and chairman of the harbor commission at New York from 1855 to 1857. He was quarantine commissioner of the Port of New York in 1859, and was supervisor and president of the board of education for many years. He was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions of 1856 and 1860. Elected as 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 ...

candidate to the

Forty-fifth United States Congress The 45th 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, 1877, ...

, Patterson was United States Representative for the thirty-third district of New York from March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1879.

Death

Patterson died in Westfield, New York, on October 15, 1879 (age 79 years, 338 days). He is

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

at Westfield Cemetery in Westfield, New York.

Family life

In February 1825, he married Hannah Dickey and they had one son, George W. Patterson; and a daughter, Hannah Whiting Patterson. Both his brother William Patterson and his nephew

Augustus Frank Augustus Frank (July 17, 1826 – April 29, 1895) was an American merchant, railroad executive, banker and politician. He served as a United States representative from the U.S. state of New York during the American Civil War. Early life ...

were also United States representatives from New York.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, George Washington 1799 births 1879 deaths People from Londonderry, New Hampshire New York (state) Whigs 19th-century American politicians Speakers of the New York State Assembly Lieutenant Governors of New York (state) Members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Westfield, New York People from Leicester, New York Pinkerton Academy alumni