Representative Edward White Patterson

Edward White Patterson (October 4, 1895 – March 6, 1940) was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who represented Kansas in the United States House of Representatives from 1935 to 1939. Born in Pittsburg, Crawford County, Kansas, he was raised in that community and attended the local public schools, laying the foundation for a career closely tied to his home state.

During the First World War, Patterson entered military service and served as a sergeant in the 35th Division of the American Expeditionary Forces from May 1917 to March 1919. His wartime experience in Europe occurred during a formative period of his life and preceded his entry into higher education and the legal profession.

After returning from military service, Patterson pursued advanced studies. He attended the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, before returning to Kansas to study law. He enrolled in the law department of the University of Kansas at Lawrence, from which he graduated in 1922. That same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in his native Pittsburg, Kansas, beginning a legal career that would lead him into public office.

Patterson first held elective public office at the county level. He served as prosecuting attorney of Crawford County, Kansas, from 1926 to 1928, gaining experience in criminal law and public administration. His work as a county prosecutor increased his visibility in Democratic Party circles and among local constituents, positioning him for a subsequent run for national office.

As a member of the Democratic Party, Patterson was elected to the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth and Seventy-fifth Congresses, serving from January 3, 1935, to January 3, 1939. His two terms in Congress coincided with a significant period in American history, during the New Deal era of the Great Depression. As a representative from Kansas, he participated in the legislative process in the House of Representatives and represented the interests of his constituents while contributing to the broader democratic process at the federal level.

Patterson sought to continue his congressional career but was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1938 to the Seventy-sixth Congress. Following the conclusion of his service in Congress in January 1939, he returned to Pittsburg, Kansas, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued his legal work there until his death.

Edward White Patterson died in Weir, Kansas, on March 6, 1940. He was interred in Highland Park Cemetery in Pittsburg, Kansas, not far from where he had been born, educated, and practiced law. His career reflected a trajectory from local public schools and county service to national office and back to private legal practice in his home community.