Robert P. Patterson | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait,c. 1945 | |
| 55thUnited States Secretary of War | |
| In office September 27, 1945 – July 18, 1947 | |
| President | Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Henry L. Stimson |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Claiborne Royall |
| United States Under Secretary of War | |
| In office December 16, 1940 – September 27, 1945 | |
| President | Franklin D. Roosevelt Harry S. Truman |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Claiborne Royall |
| Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit | |
| In office March 21, 1939 – July 30, 1940 | |
| Appointed by | Franklin D. Roosevelt |
| Preceded by | Martin Thomas Manton |
| Succeeded by | Jerome Frank |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York | |
| In office May 13, 1930 – March 22, 1939 | |
| Appointed by | Herbert Hoover |
| Preceded by | Thomas D. Thacher |
| Succeeded by | Simon H. Rifkind |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Porter Patterson (1891-02-12)February 12, 1891 Glen Falls, New York, U.S. |
| Died | January 22, 1952(1952-01-22) (aged 60) Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Margaret Winchester Patterson |
| Children | 4, includingRobert P. Patterson Jr. |
| Education | Union College (AB) Harvard University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 306th Infantry Regiment |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star |
Robert Porter Patterson Sr. (February 12, 1891 – January 22, 1952) was an American judge who served asUnder Secretary of War under PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt andU.S. Secretary of War under PresidentHarry S. Truman. He was aUS circuit judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit after he had been adistrict judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Born on February 12, 1891, inGlens Falls, New York,[1] the son of Lodice Edna (née Porter) and Charles Robert Patterson,[citation needed] Patterson received anArtium Baccalaureus degree in 1912 fromUnion College and aBachelor of Laws in 1915 fromHarvard Law School.[1] He entered private practice in New York City from 1915 to 1916,[1] with what today is the law firm ofPatterson Belknap Webb & Tyler,[citation needed] also serving with that firm in subsequent periods of private practice.[citation needed] He served in theNew York Army National Guard from 1916 to 1917.[1] He served in theUnited States Army from 1917 to 1919,[1] attaining the rank ofMajor.[citation needed] He received theDistinguished Service Cross[2] andSilver Star[2] for heroism in France. Patterson served in the 306th Infantry Regiment which was assigned to the77th Infantry Division.[citation needed] He returned to private practice in New York City from 1919 to 1930.[1]
Patterson was nominated by PresidentHerbert Hoover on April 24, 1930, to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York vacated by JudgeThomas D. Thacher.[1] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 13, 1930, and received his commission the same day.[1] His service terminated on March 22, 1939, due to his elevation to the Second Circuit.[1]
Patterson was nominated by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt on February 9, 1939, to a seat on theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit vacated by JudgeMartin Thomas Manton.[1] He was confirmed by the Senate on March 20, 1939, and received his commission on March 21, 1939.[1] His service terminated on July 30, 1940, due to his resignation.[1]
Patterson served as aUnited States Assistant Secretary of War in 1940.[1] He served asUnited States Under Secretary of War from 1940 to 1945 under SecretaryHenry L. Stimson.[1] He was instrumental in the mobilization of the armed forces preparatory to and during World War II.[3] PresidentHarry S. Truman appointed Patterson asUnited States Secretary of War in 1945.[1] Truman initially was set to offer Patterson a seat on theUnited States Supreme Court which was left vacant by JusticeOwen J. Roberts, however, with the resignation ofHenry L. Stimson, Patterson instead became the Secretary of War.[4] Patterson advocated unifying the armed services (army and navy) and having a single chief of staff.[5][6] Steps to this effect were begun by theNational Security Act of 1947 and revised several times, finally by theGoldwater-Nichols Act of 1986.[citation needed]
Patterson worked to promote more black participation and promotion with in the military, specifically during the late stages ofWorld War II. He was instrumental in creating an African-American fighter group, known now as theTuskegee airmen.[7] While sympathetic to black grievances, aspirations, and recommendations he was concerned that radical change would impede military preparedness during war.[8] After the war the "Board for Utilization of Negro Manpower" (or Gillem Board). released a report,[9] "Utilization of Negro Manpower in the Postwar Army Policy", in April 1946. that was signed off by Patterson: it recommended the retention of segregation, as that was a policy external to the military, but that the military introduce equal opportunity, as that would be the best use of military manpower. Patterson served until 1947.[1]
After declining an offer by President Truman to be reappointed to his former judgeship,[citation needed] Patterson returned to private practice in New York City from 1947 to 1952.[1] Later he became the President of theAssociation of the Bar of the City of New York, and the President of theCouncil on Foreign Relations.[10] GovernorThomas E. Dewey appointed Patterson along with New York City’s construction coordinatorRobert Moses and former JusticeCharles C. Lockwood as a member of the Temporary Long Island Railroad Commission, installed after theRichmond Hill train crash on November 22, 1950, that claimed 79 lives.[11] The Commission recommended the state purchase and operation by non-profit public authority of the railway service.[12]
On January 3, 1920, Patterson married Margaret Tarleton Winchester (1897–1988); they had four children: Robert P. Patterson, Jr., Aileen Patterson Seldes, Susan H. Patterson and Virginia Patterson Montgomery.[citation needed]Robert P. Patterson Jr. was a federal judge in the Southern District of New York from 1988 until his death in 2015.[13]
Patterson died on January 22, 1952,[1] returning from meeting a client, onboardAmerican Airlines Flight 6780 which crashed on the approach toNewark Airport inElizabeth,New Jersey; he was age 60.[citation needed]
In 2012, the University of Tennessee Press publishedThe World War I Memoirs of Robert P. Patterson: A Captain in the Great War, edited by J. Garry Clifford.[citation needed]
In 2014, the University of Tennessee Press published his previously unpublished 1947 memoirArming the Nation for War, with a foreword byRobert M. Morgenthau, former Manhattan district attorney, and edited by Brian Waddell, associate professor at the University of Connecticut.[citation needed]
In 1953, Union College named liberal arts scholarships in the memory of Patterson.[14] An army reserve building on the Bronx campus ofNew York University was named after Patterson in 1953.[15]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York 1930–1939 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 1939–1940 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Office established | United States Under Secretary of War 1940–1945 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Secretary of War 1945–1947 | Succeeded by |
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