Jerry Patterson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Patterson in 1983 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's38th district | |
| In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1985 | |
| Preceded by | George Brown Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Bob Dornan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jerry Mumford Patterson (1934-10-25)October 25, 1934 El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 8, 2024(2024-11-08) (aged 90) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | California State University, Long Beach (BA) University of Southern California (attended) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Coast Guard |
| Years of service | 1953–1957 |
Jerry Mumford Patterson (October 25, 1934 – November 8, 2024) was an American lawyer inCalifornia and theDistrict of Columbia, educator and politician, who was a five-termUnited States Representative fromCalifornia, serving from 1975 to 1985.
Born inEl Paso, Texas, Patterson graduated from Tucson High School inTucson, Arizona in 1952. He served in theUnited States Coast Guard from 1953 to 1957. Patterson received hisBA fromCalifornia State University, Long Beach in 1960. He completed 30 units of graduate work at theUniversity of Southern California School of Public Administration in 1961 to 1963, then went on toUCLA School of Law where he earned hisJ.D. degree in 1966.[1]
Patterson was admitted to the California bar in 1967 and commenced practice inSanta Ana. He was a Santa Anacity councilman from 1969 to 1973. He was concurrently themayor of Santa Ana and thecity attorney ofPlacentia from 1973 to 1975.[2]
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 toBob Dornan.
In Congress, he served as chairman of the Select Committee on Committee Reform from March 20, 1979 to April 30, 1980, and chaired the House Subcommittee on International Development Finance in theNinety-seventh andNinety-eighth Congress. Patterson was also a member of theUnited States House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families.[3]
He worked on legislation promoting banking transparency, in addition to his focus on refugee issues, particularly those impacting Vietnamese refugees following theVietnam War.[4]
Patterson resumed the practice of law inCosta Mesa in 1986. He was a professor atCalifornia State University, Long Beach from 1986 to 1999. He became thecity attorney ofCypress 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.
In 1996 Patterson returned to elective office when he won a seat on theCoast Community College District Board of Trustees where he served on the college board forOrange Coast College,Golden West College andCoastline 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 theSanta Ana River.[5]
Patterson lived inFountain 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.[6]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson | 67,299 | 54.0 | |||
| Republican | David Rehmann | 51,509 | 41.3 | |||
| American Independent | Lee R. Rayburn | 3,991 | 3.2 | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Larry B. Kallenberger | 1,851 | 1.5 | |||
| Total votes | 124,650 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent) | 103,317 | 63.6 | |
| Republican | James "Jim" Combs | 59,092 | 36.4 | |
| Total votes | 162,409 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent) | 75,471 | 58.6 | |
| Republican | Dan Goedeke | 53,298 | 41.4 | |
| Total votes | 128,769 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent) | 91,880 | 55.5 | |
| Republican | Art Jacobson | 66,256 | 40.0 | |
| Libertarian | Charles E. "Chuck" Heiser | 7,301 | 4.5 | |
| Total votes | 165,437 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent) | 73,914 | 52.4 | |||
| Republican | William F. "Bill" Dohr | 61,279 | 43.4 | |||
| Libertarian | Anita K. Barr | 5,989 | 4.2 | |||
| Total votes | 141,182 | 100.0 | ||||
| Democraticgain fromRepublican | ||||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Dornan | 86,545 | 53.2 | |||
| Democratic | Jerry M. Patterson (incumbent) | 73,231 | 45.0 | |||
| Peace and Freedom | Michael Schuyles Bright | 3,021 | 1.8 | |||
| Total votes | 162,797 | 100.0 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromCalifornia's 38th congressional district 1975–1985 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Chair of the House Committee Reform Committee 1979–1980 | Position abolished |
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
