Wright Patman | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 40thDean of the United States House of Representatives | |
| In office January 3, 1973 – March 7, 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Emanuel Celler |
| Succeeded by | George H. Mahon |
| Chair of theHouse Banking Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | Brent Spence |
| Succeeded by | Henry S. Reuss |
| Chair of theHouse Small Business Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963 | |
| Preceded by | William S. Hill |
| Succeeded by | Joe L. Evins |
| In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1953 | |
| Preceded by | Walter C. Ploeser |
| Succeeded by | William S. Hill |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's1st district | |
| In office March 4, 1929 – March 7, 1976 | |
| Preceded by | Eugene Black |
| Succeeded by | Sam B. Hall |
| Member of theTexas House of Representatives from the2nd district | |
| In office January 11, 1921 – January 13, 1925 | |
| Preceded by | J. D. Newton |
| Succeeded by | George Coody |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John William Wright Patman (1893-08-06)August 6, 1893 Hughes Springs, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | March 7, 1976(1976-03-07) (aged 82) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 4, includingBill |
| Relatives | Carrin Patman (granddaughter) |
| Education | Cumberland University (LLB) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 (active) 1919–? (Texas Army National Guard) |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
John William Wright Patman (August 6, 1893 – March 7, 1976) was an American politician. First elected in 1928, Patman served 24 consecutive terms in theUnited States House of Representatives forTexas's 1st congressional district from 1929 to 1976. He was a member of theDemocratic Party. From 1973 to 1976, he wasDean of the United States House of Representatives.
Patman grew up inHughes Springs, Texas. After graduating fromCumberland University, Patman returned to Hughes Springs to be a lawyer. From 1916 to 1917, Patman held his first political office as assistant county attorney forCass County, Texas. He then served in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I from 1917 to 1919. After the war, Patman was elected to theTexas House of Representatives in 1920. Patman served two terms in the Texas House before serving as a district attorney in Texas from 1924 to 1929.
In Congress, Patman was a fiscal watchdog who challenged practices of major banks and the Federal Reserve. He co-sponsored theRobinson-Patman Act of 1935, which was designed to protect small retail shops against competition from chain stores by fixing a minimum price for retail products.[1] From 1963 to 1975, Patman chaired theUnited States House Committee on Banking and Currency. Patman served in Congress until his death in 1976. His sonBill Patman later served in a different U.S. House seat in Texas from 1981 to 1985.
Patman was the son of John N. and Emma (Spurlin) Patman, born nearHughes Springs inCass County, Texas, on August 6, 1893. After graduating from Hughes Springs High School in 1912, he enrolled inCumberland University Law School inLebanon, Tennessee. Receiving his law degree in 1916 he was admitted to the Texas bar the same year.[2] DuringWorld War I Patman enlisted in theUnited States Army as a private. He later received a commission as a first lieutenant and machine gun officer in theTexas Army National Guard's144th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the36th Division. He remained in the National Guard for several years after the war.[3]
Patman was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1920. He left the House in 1924 when he was appointed district attorney of the fifth judicial district of Texas.[2]
In 1928, Patman was elected to theHouse of Representatives fromTexas's 1st congressional district. In 1932, Patman introduced a bill that would have mandated the immediate payment of the bonus toWorld War I veterans.[4] It was during the consideration of this bill that theBonus Army came to Washington. Patman was a supporter of theNew Deal.[5]
In January 1932, Patman spearheaded a movement to impeach Treasury SecretaryAndrew Mellon,[6] which forced the latter's resignation the following month.[7]
In 1935, Patman took on the cause of independent retailers, who were engaged in a nationwide battle to stop the growth of chain retailing by taxing chains and restricting their business practices.[8] Patman in the House andJoseph Taylor Robinson in theUnited States Senate were the sponsors of the 1936Robinson-Patman Act, an effort to preserve independent wholesalers and retail outlets ("Mom and Pop stores") by preventing manufacturers or large retailers from becoming involved in wholesaling.[9]
Patman was one of four members of the Texas congressional delegation to originally sign the "Southern Manifesto,"[10] a resolution in protest of theUnited States Supreme Court decision inBrown v. Board of Education.[11] Patman voted against theCivil Rights Acts of 1957,[12] theCivil Rights Acts of 1960,[13] theCivil Rights Acts of 1964,[14] and theCivil Rights Acts of 1968[15] as well as the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution[16] and theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[17]
Wright Patman's namesake committee played an important role in the early days of theWatergate scandal that eventually brought down theNixon Administration.
The Patman Committee investigated the hundred dollar bills found on theWatergate "plumbers" upon their arrest, suspecting they could directly link them toCREEP, the president's re-election committee. The Patman Committee's 1972 investigation was stymied by pressure from the White House, in part aided by CongressmanGerald R. Ford.[18][19] Despite these efforts to stop Patman,The Washington Post followed up with original reporting about the money trail and helped lead to the establishment of the Senate Select Committee on Watergate in April 1973.[20][21]
In 1975, Patman was voted out of his position as Chairman of the Banking committee by younger Congressmen, in a revolt against the 'Seniority system' which also removedFelix Edward Hébert andWilliam R. Poage from their positions as chairmen.[22] Patman was replaced byHenry S. Reuss by a caucus vote of 152–117. The main reason given for the caucus removing Patman was concern about his age and effectiveness.[23][24]
In 1919, Patman married Merle Connor, who died in 1967. They had four children, includingBill Patman, who served in the U.S. House from 1981 to 1985. Wright Patman remarried in 1968 to Pauline Tucker.[2]
Patman died ofpneumonia inBethesda, Maryland on March 7, 1976.[25][26] He was buried at Hillcrest Cemetery in Texarkana.[27] "His funeral in Texarkana was one of the largest, most important occurrences in the town's history," wrote Mark Stanley in a 2004 essay for theEast Texas Historical Journal.[28]
Patman is regarded as aliberal andpopulist who brought federal jobs and works projects to his district, where agriculture previously was the dominant economic sector.[28] However, the left wingAmericans for Democratic Action scored Patman low in its 100-point "liberal quotient" (LQ) scale, at 13 in 1972[29] and 24 in 1973.[30] In contrast, theAmerican Conservative Union rated Patman a more favorable 47 out of 100 in 1973.[31]
In the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, the Wright Patman Congressional Federal Credit Union is named after him. This credit union serves the banking needs of elected and former members of the House and their staff.[32] In addition,Wright Patman Lake and Wright Patman Dam inNortheast Texas are also named for him.[33]
In the alternate history novelSettling Accounts: In at the Death byHarry Turtledove, part of theSouthern Victory series, Wright Patman was a member of the Freedom Party and served as the Governor of Texas during the Second Great War. Towards the end of the conflict, he declares Texas's secession from the Confederacy as an independent nation with himself as President to secure an armistice with the United States, agreeing to the re-establishment of the state of Houston and the arrest of Confederate war criminals as conditions.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromTexas's 1st congressional district 1929–1976 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Small Business Committee 1949–1953 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Small Business Committee 1955–1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chair of theHouse Banking Committee 1963–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Dean of the United States House of Representatives 1973–1976 | Succeeded by |
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