Joseph Turner Patterson
Mississippi Attorney General (1907–1969)
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Joseph Turner Patterson (1907–1969) was the thirty-fourth Attorney General of Mississippi.
Joseph Turner Patterson | |
|---|---|
| |
| 34th Attorney General of Mississippi | |
| In office January 18, 1956 – April 19, 1969[1] | |
| Governor | James P. Coleman Ross Barnett Paul B. Johnson Jr. John Bell Williams |
| Preceded by | James P. Coleman |
| Succeeded by | A. F. Summer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 10, 1907 |
| Died | April 19, 1969 (aged 61)[2] |
| Cause of death | Stroke |
| Party | Democratic |
| Parents |
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| Education | Mississippi A&M Mississippi College Cumberland University Law School LLB 1929 |
Known for | Role in Civil Rights |
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.