James Oglethorpe Patterson Jr. (28 May 1935 – 25 June 2011) was a Holiness Pentecostal

minister Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

in the

Church of God in Christ The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) is a Holiness–Pentecostal Christian denomination, and the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States. Although an international and multi-ethnic religious organization, it has a predominantly Bl ...

and a former Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, the first African-American to hold the office.

Biography

Patterson was born in Memphis, the son of the first international Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), J. O. Patterson Sr. (1912–1989) and Deborah Mason Patterson (1914–1985). He was the grandson of COGIC founder Bishop Charles Harrison Mason (1864–1961) and cousin of the late Presiding Bishop of COGIC

Gilbert E. Patterson Gilbert Earl Patterson (September 22, 1939 – March 20, 2007) was an American Holiness Pentecostal leader and minister who served as the National Presiding Bishop and Founder of the Bountiful Blessings Ministries and Chief Apostle of the Chur ...

(1939–2007). He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration from

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

in Nashville, Tennessee in 1958, a Master of Religion Degree in 1985 from Memphis Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Jurisprudence Degree in 1963 from DePaul University,

Chicago, Il (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. He practiced law and then became active in state and local political life as a State Representative for one term, a State Senator for two terms, a Memphis City Councilman for five terms and interim Mayor of Memphis (for 20 days total) in 1982, following the resignation of

J. Wyeth Chandler J. Wyeth Chandler (February 21, 1930 – November 11, 2004) served as mayor of Memphis, Tennessee from 1972 to 1982. He was the adopted son of former Memphis mayor and U.S. Representative Walter Chandler. Chandler succeeded the controversial ...

; after the statutory 20 days, he was succeeded by Wallace Madewell for a short period. (The next regularly-elected mayor was Richard Hackett). He also served as a delegate to the Tennessee

Constitutional Convention Constitutional convention may refer to: * Constitutional convention (political custom), an informal and uncodified procedural agreement *Constitutional convention (political meeting), a meeting of delegates to adopt a new constitution or revise an e ...

and the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

in 1972, 1976 and 1980. He was elevated and ceremonially consecrated by his father to the Bishopric in November 1985. He served as the Pastor of the Pentecostal Temple Church Of God In Christ in Memphis, Tennessee a congregation of 2,500 active members, the Jurisdictional Prelate of the denomination's 1st Ecclesiastical Headquarters Jurisdiction of Tennessee and the COGIC, Inc. Chairman of the General Assembly. Bishop Patterson served as the President of J. O. Patterson Mortuary, Inc., a contributing writer for the Official COGIC Manual, a member of the COGIC Legal Counsel, a member of the Board of Directors of the C. H. Mason Foundation, a developer of many inner-city and urban initiatives. He continued the J. O. Patterson crusade,

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

and media ministries established by his father. As Chairman of the General Assembly, Patterson supervised all sessions of the supreme legislative and judicial authority of the Church of God in Christ, Inc., the only entity of the church that has the power to express the doctrines and creeds of the church. On Saturday, June 25, 2011, Bishop Patterson died of kidney failure at the age of 76. He died at a local hospital at 4:27 pm. His funeral was held on July 1, 2011 at the Mason Temple Church of God in Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. Bishop

Charles E. Blake Charles Edward Blake Sr. (born August 5, 1940) is an American minister and pastor who served as the Presiding Bishop and leader of the Church of God in Christ, a 6 million-member Holiness Pentecostal denomination, that has now grown to become ...

officiated over the funeral.Bishop J. O. Patterson Jr. blazed trails in religion as well as politics » The Commercial Appeal
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References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, J. O. Jr. Mayors of Memphis, Tennessee American bishops Fisk University alumni Members of the Church of God in Christ Memphis Theological Seminary alumni DePaul University alumni Church of God in Christ pastors Tennessee city council members Tennessee state senators Members of the Tennessee House of Representatives Politicians from Memphis, Tennessee 1935 births 2011 deaths Deaths from kidney failure Pentecostals from Tennessee African-American mayors in Tennessee