Jerry M. Patterson
{{Short description|American politician (1934–2024)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Jerry M. Patterson (1983).jpg
| state = California
| district = 38th
| predecessor = George Brown Jr.
| successor = Bob Dornan
| birth_name = Jerry Mumford Patterson
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|10|25}}
| birth_place = El Paso, Texas, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2024|11|08|1934|10|25}}
| death_place = Fountain Valley, California, U.S.
| party = Democratic
| term_start = January 3, 1975
| term_end = January 3, 1985
| resting_place =
| education = California State University, Long Beach (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (JD)
| profession = Lawyer
| office1 = Mayor of Santa Ana, California
| term_start1 = 1973
| term_end1 = 1975
| office2 = City Attorney
| term_start2 = 1973
| term_end2 = 1997
| constituency2 = Placentia (1973–1975)
Cypress (1987–1989)
Dana Point (1989–1991)
Lake Forest (1991–1997)
| office3 = Member of the Santa Ana City Council
| term_start3 = 1969
| term_end3 = 1973
| branch = United States Coast Guard
| serviceyears = 1953-1957
| caption = Patterson in 1983
}}
Jerry Mumford Patterson (October 25, 1934 – November 8, 2024) was an American lawyer in California and the District of Columbia, educator and politician, who was a five-term United States Representative from California, serving from 1975 to 1985.
Early life, education, military service
Born in El Paso, Texas, Patterson graduated from Tucson High School in Tucson, Arizona in 1952. He served in the United States Coast Guard from 1953 to 1957. Patterson received his BA from California State University, Long Beach in 1960. He completed 30 units of graduate work at the University of Southern California School of Public Administration in 1961 to 1963, then went on to UCLA School of Law where he earned his J.D. degree in 1966.{{cite news |last1=Schallhorn |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Jerry Patterson, a former Orange County congressman and longtime public servant, dies |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2024/11/13/jerry-patterson-a-former-orange-county-congressman-and-longtime-public-servant-dies/ |access-date=13 November 2024 |publisher=The Orange County Register |date=24 November 2024}}
Legal and political career
Patterson was admitted to the California bar in 1967 and commenced practice in Santa Ana. He was a Santa Ana city councilman from 1969 to 1973. He was concurrently the mayor of Santa Ana and the city attorney of Placentia from 1973 to 1975.{{cite news |last1=Schallhorn |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Jerry Patterson, a former Orange County congressman and longtime public servant, dies |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2024/11/13/jerry-patterson-a-former-orange-county-congressman-and-longtime-public-servant-dies/ |access-date=24 November 2024 |publisher=The Orange County Register |date=13 November 2024}}
House of Representatives
Congressman Patterson was the first Democrat to be elected to Congress from a district entirely within Orange County, California. He served five terms from January 3, 1975, until January 3, 1985, when he lost his reelection bid to Bob Dornan.
In Congress, he served as chairman of the Select Committee on Committee Reform (Ninety-sixth Congress), and chaired the House Subcommittee on International Development Finance in the Ninety-seventh and Ninety-eighth Congress. Patterson was also a member of the United States House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.[http://files/eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED245830.pdf Children, youth, and families: Beginning the assessment. Hearing before the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families; House of Representatives, Ninety-Eighth Congress, First Session]{{dead link|date=April 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, United States House of Representatives, Washington, DC, 28 April 1984, Original document retrieved 19 January 2014 from ERIC at Ed.gov: Institution of Education Sciences.
He worked on legislation promoting banking transparency, in addition to his focus on refugee issues, particularly those impacting Vietnamese refugees following the Vietnam War.{{cite news |last1=Schallhorn |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Jerry Patterson, a former Orange County congressman and longtime public servant, dies |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2024/11/13/jerry-patterson-a-former-orange-county-congressman-and-longtime-public-servant-dies/ |access-date=24 November 2024 |publisher=The Orange County Register |date=13 November 2024}}
Post-congressional career
Patterson resumed the practice of law in Costa Mesa in 1986. He was a professor at California State University, Long Beach from 1986 to 1999. He became the city attorney of Cypress in 1987, Dana Point, California in 1989 and Lake Forest, California in 1991. Patterson retired from his law practice in 1997 and has been president of his own public affairs consulting firm since 1998. Patterson continued to be an educator, community activist and member of nonprofit boards and commissions.
= Local public office =
In 1996 Patterson returned to elective office when he won a seat on the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees where he served on the college board for Orange Coast College, Golden West College and Coastline Community College.
During his time on the Santa Ana Council, Patterson led the effort to establish a federal courthouse in the community, make improvements to the regional transportation system, and enclose the Santa Ana River.{{cite news |last1=Schallhorn |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Jerry Patterson, a former Orange County congressman and longtime public servant, dies |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2024/11/13/jerry-patterson-a-former-orange-county-congressman-and-longtime-public-servant-dies/ |access-date=13 November 2024 |publisher=The Orange County Register |date=24 November 2024}}
Personal life and death
Patterson lived in Fountain Valley, with his wife, Linda Moulton-Patterson. They had four adult children and six grandchildren.
Patterson died on November 8, 2024, two weeks after his 90th birthday.{{cite news |last1=Schallhorn |first1=Kaitlyn |title=Jerry Patterson, a former Orange County congressman and longtime public servant, dies |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2024/11/13/jerry-patterson-a-former-orange-county-congressman-and-longtime-public-servant-dies/ |access-date=13 November 2024 |publisher=The Orange County Register |date=13 November 2024}}
Electoral history
{{Election box begin no change | title=1974 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1974election.pdf|title=1974 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson
|votes = 67,299
|percentage = 54.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = David Rehmann
|votes = 51,509
|percentage= 41.3
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = American Independent Party
|candidate = Lee R. Rayburn
|votes = 3,991
|percentage= 3.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Peace and Freedom Party
|candidate = Larry B. Kallenberger
|votes = 1,851
|percentage= 1.5
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 124,650
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
|loser = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1976 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1976election.pdf|title=1976 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent)
|votes = 103,317
|percentage = 63.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = James "Jim" Combs
|votes = 59,092
|percentage= 36.4
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 162,409
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1978 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1978election.pdf|title=1978 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent)
|votes = 75,471
|percentage = 58.6
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Dan Goedeke
|votes = 53,298
|percentage = 41.4
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 128,769
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1980 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1980election.pdf|title=1980 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent)
|votes = 91,880
|percentage = 55.5
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Art Jacobson
|votes = 66,256
|percentage = 40.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Charles E. "Chuck" Heiser
|votes = 7,301
|percentage = 4.5
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 165,437
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box hold with party link without swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1982 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1982election.pdf|title=1982 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent)
|votes = 73,914
|percentage = 52.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = William F. "Bill" Dohr
|votes = 61,279
|percentage = 43.4
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Anita K. Barr
|votes = 5,989
|percentage = 4.2
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 141,182
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing|
|winner = Democratic Party (United States)
|loser = Republican Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
{{Election box begin no change | title=1984 United States House of Representatives elections in California{{cite web|url=http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1984election.pdf|title=1984 election results}}}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Bob Dornan
|votes = 86,545
|percentage = 53.2
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent)
|votes = 73,231
|percentage = 45.0
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|
|party = Peace and Freedom Party (United States)
|candidate = Michael Schuyles Bright
|votes = 3,021
|percentage = 1.8
}}
{{Election box total no change|
|votes = 162,797
|percentage = 100.0
}}
{{Election box gain with party link without swing|
|winner = Republican Party (United States)
|loser = Democratic Party (United States)
}}
{{Election box end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf5g50072q Guide to the Jerry M. Patterson Papers.] Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20070701080353/http://www.cccd.edu/board/trustees.aspx#jpatterson Official Coast Community College District Board biography]
{{CongBio|P000121}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-par|us-hs}}
{{US House succession box
| state=California
| district=38
| before=George Brown Jr.
| after=Bob Dornan
| years=1975–1985}}
{{s-end}}
{{Bioguide}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Jerry M.}}
Category:American Congregationalists
Category:UCLA School of Law alumni
Category:Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Category:United States Coast Guard enlisted
Category:USC Sol Price School of Public Policy alumni
Category:Members of Congress who became lobbyists
Category:20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives