John Patton (March 1, 1822 – November 15, 1900) was the mayor of Detroit, Michigan, in 1858–1859.[1]
Biography
John Patton was born March 1, 1822, in the county of County Down, Ireland, the son of James and Eliza Patton.[2] In 1830, John and his father emigrated to Albany, New York, and were joined by the rest of the family the next year. At 17, John Patton was apprenticed as a carriagesmith, and in 1843 moved to Detroit, where he worked for others at his trade.[2] Two years later, he went into business as a carriagemaker for himself. The fire of 1848 destroyed his factory, but Patton soon rebuilt, and his business prospered.[3]
In 1845, Patton married Eliza J. Anderson.[2] The couple had five children: William, Walter, Mrs. John McLean, Mrs. E. B. Gay, and John.[3]
Patton rapidly became popular in the city,[2] due in part to his "masterly" delivery of reading, thespian skills, and command of Scotch and Irish dialects.[4] He served as chief engineer of the Fire Department in 1852–1854 and its president from 1855 to 1857.[2] He was a Democrat in politics, and awas elected a city alderman in 1853–1854, mayor in 1858–1859, county auditor in 1864–1869, Wayne County, Michigan, sheriff in 1869–1870, Justice of the Peace from 1880– 1892[3] and United States consul at Amherstburg, Ontario, from 1893 to 1897.[3][5]
John Patton died November 15, 1900.[3]
References
- ^ "Mayors of Detroit". History Detroit. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Silas Farmer (1889), The History of Detroit and Michigan, p. 1043
- ^ a b c d e Clarence Monroe Burton; William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922; Volume 3, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, pp. 981–982
- ^ Friend Palmer (1906), Early days in Detroit, Hunt & June, p. 847
- ^ The government of the city of Detroit and Wayne County, Michigan: 1701 to 1907, historical and biographical, 1907, p. 26, ISBN 9780598455529
