Joseph Turner Patterson
34th Attorney General of Mississippi
In office
January 18, 1956 – April 19, 1969[1]
GovernorJames P. Coleman
Ross Barnett
Paul B. Johnson Jr.
John Bell Williams
Preceded byJames P. Coleman
Succeeded byA. F. Summer
Personal details
Born(1907-07-10)July 10, 1907
Eupora, Mississippi
DiedApril 19, 1969(1969-04-19) (aged 61)[2]
Cause of deathStroke
Political partyDemocratic
Parents
  • Albert Thomas "Abb" Paterson (father)
  • Mae Vivian Harpole (mother)
EducationMississippi A&M
Mississippi College
Cumberland University Law School LLB 1929
Known forRole in Civil Rights

Joseph Turner Patterson (1907–1969) was the thirty-fourth Attorney General of Mississippi.

Early life and education

Patterson was born July 10, 1907, in Eupora, Mississippi.[1]

Public service

In 1930, Patterson was elected city attorney of Calhoun, Mississippi. In 1932, he was elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives. In 1936, he joined the staff of Senator Pat Harrison.

In 1962, Patterson cooperated with the Kennedy administration to register James Meredith to attend Ole Miss.

In 1968, he represented the state's interests in Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission.[3] This case marked the end of state subsidies to segregation academies.

References

  1. ^ a b Pieschel, Bridget (2009). Golden Days: Reminiscences of Alumnae, Mississippi State College for Women. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 237. ISBN 9781604739596.
  2. ^ Weiner, Jay (December 5, 2015). ""Joe T. Patterson" reveals cost of delaying justice". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission". U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi. January 29, 1969. Retrieved 6 January 2018.
  4. ^ Luckett, Robert E. (August 24, 2015). Joe T. Patterson and the White South's Dilemma: Evolving Resistance to Black Advancement. Univ. Press of Mississippi. ISBN 9781496802705. Retrieved 7 January 2018.
Legal offices Preceded byJames P. Coleman Attorney General of Mississippi January 18, 1956–April 19, 1969 Succeeded byAlbioun Fernando Summer
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