Jerry E. Patterson

Jerry Emmett Patterson (born November 15, 1946), is the Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas and a former Texas State Senator. He is the second Republican since Reconstruction to serve as Land Commissioner, a post he has held since 2003. He served in the Texas State Senate (District 11) from 1993 to 1999.

A nominee for a third term in the November 2, 2010, general election, Patterson faces the Democrat Hector Uribe, a former member of both houses of the Texas State Legislature. Uribe, from Brownsville, defeated Bill Burton in the party primary on March 2. Uribe received 292,486 ballots (51.7 percent) to Burton's 273,034 (48.3 percent).^[1]

Political career

In the state senate, Patterson's major successes included passage of the concealed handgun law of 1995, a constitutional amendment allowing home equity lending in 1998, the state coastal management plan, and the creation of the Texas State Veterans Home Program. He has been an advocate of individual freedom and constitutional rights. Patterson also works for veterans causes, having himself been a U.S. Marine for more than twenty years.

In March 1998, Patterson lost the Republican primary for land commissioner to David Dewhurst, also from Houston, who lest the position after a single term to become lieutenant governor. Dewhurst led with 265,363 votes (51.2 percent). Patterson trailed with 216,250 votes (41.7 percent), and a third candidate, Don Loucks, held the remaining 36,706 votes (7.1 percent).^[2]

In the 2002 Republican primary for Texas land commissioner, Patterson defeated Kenn George of Dallas, a member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 108 and an assistant secretary of commerce in the administration of U.S. President Ronald W. Reagan.^[3] Patterson was then elected land commissioner in November 2002 to succeed fellow Dewhurst. Patterson polled 2,331,700 votes (53.16 percent) to Democrat David Bernsen's 1,819,365 (41.48 percent). Two other candidates shared the remaining 5.36 percent.

In 2004, Patterson headed the Texas state campaign for the re-election of George W. Bush.

Patterson was unopposed for renomination in the 2006 Republican primary. In the general election, he defeated the Democrat VaLinda Hathcox. The final results were as follows: 2,314,965 (55 percent) for Patterson, 1,720,985 (41 percent) for Hathcox, and 166,965 (4 percent) for Michael A. French, nominee of the Libertarian Party.

Background

Patterson was born to Jerry Patterson and the former Georgia Lee Scheaffer in Houston.^[4] Patterson graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station in 1969 with a degree in history. In 1972, he volunteered for duty in Vietnam. He was later designated a naval flight officer in Pensacola, Florida, and he served in Marine fighter squadrons until his retirement from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993.

He and his second wife, Jennifer, reside in Austin. Patterson has four children: twins Samantha and Cole, born in 2004, and, from a previous marriage, Emily Patterson and Travis Patterson. Emily Patterson is a graduate of the South Texas College of Law and works for the OSCE as a Human Rights Officer in Kosovo. Travis Patterson graduated from Texas A&M University in College Station, where he was commissioned a Marine second lieutenant. He has served on active duty as a Marine attack helicopter pilot.

Patterson honored

On June 5, 2007, Patterson was named "Texan of the Year" by Celebrate Texas, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising public awareness of Texas history. "Each year, we select one person who performs outstanding work in furthering the goals of our organization, namely, the promotion of Texas history education and the strengthening of Texas Independence Day as a day of celebration for all Texans," said Harvey L. Ford, III, board president of Celebrate Texas.^{[cite this quote]}Ford said that Patterson has shown "dramatic leadership" by promoting such projects as the "Save Texas History map conservation initiative" and weekly radio features which accent state history.

Western States Land Commissioners Association

In August 2007, Patterson was named president of the Western States Land Commissioners Association, an organization that consists of 23 states that together manage 447,000,000 acres (1,810,000 km²) of land, mineral right properties, and land beneath navigable waterways.

The association was formed in 1949. The group seeks to help states maximize earnings from trust lands and share information regarding natural resource management in the American West.

Election history

Senate election history of Patterson.^[5]

Previous elections

1994

1992

See also

References

1. ^ "Texas Democratic primary returns, March 2, 2010". sos.state.tx.us. http://enr.sos.state.tx.us/enr/results/mar02_149_state.htm. Retrieved March 3, 2010.
2. ^ "Texas Republican primary election returns, March 10, 1998". elections.sos.state.tx.us. http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
3. ^ "Kenn George for Texas Land Commissioner". kenngeorge.com. http://www.kenngeorge.com/bio.html. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
4. ^ Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Records (1946-11-15). "Birth Certificate for Jerry Emmett Patterson" (Third party index of birth records for Harris County). Rootsweb.com. http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/harris/vitals/births/1946/harb1446.txt. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
5. ^ Uncontested primary elections are not shown.
6. ^ "1994 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
7. ^ "1992 General Election". Office of the Secretary of State (Texas). http://elections.sos.state.tx.us/elchist.exe. Retrieved 2007-01-03.

External links

• 1992 - 2006 Election History (Texas Secretary of State Website)
• Patterson campaign website
• Texas General Land Office
• [1]

Categories: 1946 births | Living people | Commissioners of the General Land Office of Texas | Texas State Senators | Texas Republicans | People from Texas | Texas A&M University alumni | American military personnel of the Vietnam War | United States Marine Corps officers