John M. Patterson

John Malcolm Patterson (September 27, 1921 – June 4, 2021) was an American politician. He served one term as Attorney General of Alabama from 1955 to 1959, and, at age 37, served one term as the 44th Governor of Alabama from 1959 to 1963.

John M. Patterson
Official portrait, 1959
44th Governor of Alabama
In office
January 19, 1959  January 14, 1963
LieutenantAlbert Boutwell
Preceded byJim Folsom
Succeeded byGeorge Wallace
36th Attorney General of Alabama
In office
January 17, 1955  January 19, 1959
GovernorJim Folsom
Preceded byBernard Sykes
Succeeded byMacDonald Gallion
Personal details
Born
John Malcolm Patterson

(1921-09-27)September 27, 1921
Goldville, Alabama, U.S.
DiedJune 4, 2021(2021-06-04) (aged 99)
Goldville, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Gladys Broadwater
(m. 1942; div. 1945)
    Mary Jo McGowin
    (m. 1947; div. 1975)
      Tina Sawyer
      (m. 1975)
      EducationUniversity of Alabama (LLB)
      Military service
      Allegiance United States
      Branch/service United States Army
      Years of service1939–1945
      1951–1953
      Rank Major
      Battles/warsWorld War II
      Korean War

      His turbulent tenure as governor was roiled by numerous civil rights protests and a long-running extramarital affair with Tina Sawyer, a mother-of-two who would eventually become his third wife. Patterson sought and ran with the support of the Ku Klux Klan when he won the governorship of Alabama in 1958. As governor, he was staunchly pro-segregation. He expressed regret for this position later in life.

      Patterson came to wider attention in the mid-1950s when he and his father Albert (who was murdered in 1954) fought against criminal organizations who controlled the town of Phenix City, Alabama. In 2003, Patterson was the presiding judge over former Chief Justice Roy Moore's appeal against his removal from the Alabama Supreme Court.

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