Representative Nat Patton

Nat Patton (February 26, 1881 – July 27, 1957), also known as “Cousin Nat,” was an American lawyer and Democratic politician who served five terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas’s 7th Congressional District from 1935 to 1945. His decade of service in Congress coincided with the New Deal era, the Great Depression, and the Second World War, during which he participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of his east Texas constituents.

Patton was born on a farm near the small community of Tadmor in Houston County, near Crockett in east Texas. Raised in a rural setting, he attended local rural schools before enrolling at Sam Houston Normal School in Huntsville, Texas, an institution dedicated to training teachers. Reflecting the educational opportunities and needs of his region at the turn of the twentieth century, his early life and schooling were closely tied to the agricultural and small-town communities of east Texas.

After completing his studies at Sam Houston Normal School, Patton embarked on a career in education. From 1899 to 1918 he taught in rural and high schools, gaining firsthand experience with the challenges of public education in sparsely populated areas. His years as a teacher helped establish his local reputation and provided a foundation for his later public service, as he became familiar with the concerns of families, farmers, and small-town residents throughout Houston County and the surrounding region.

Patton entered public life when he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1912, marking the beginning of a long career in state and national politics. While serving in the state legislature, he pursued legal studies at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. He was admitted to the bar in 1918 and began practicing law in Crockett, Texas. During the First World War, he enlisted in the United States Army, but he was never sworn in because the armistice was signed before his service formally commenced. In 1918 he was elected county judge of Houston County, a position he held until 1922, combining his legal training with administrative and judicial responsibilities at the local level.

Patton’s political career advanced further when he was elected to the Texas State Senate, where he served from 1929 to 1934. In addition to his legislative duties, he remained active in party affairs, serving as a delegate to the Texas Democratic state conventions in 1924 and 1935. These roles solidified his standing within the Democratic Party and positioned him as a prominent voice for his region in state politics during a period of economic and social change.

In 1934, Patton was elected as a Democrat to the Seventy-fourth Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1935, to January 3, 1945. As a member of the House of Representatives from Texas’s 7th District, he participated in the democratic process during a significant period in American history, contributing to the legislative work of Congress during the New Deal and World War II. Over his five terms in office, he represented the interests of his constituents in east Texas, aligning with the Democratic Party’s policies of the era. While in Washington, he was identified as a member of the Miller group, a congressional faction of the time. In 1944, after a decade in the House, he was defeated for renomination by Tom Pickett, bringing his congressional career to a close at the end of the Seventy-eighth Congress.

Following his departure from Congress, Patton returned to Crockett, Texas, where he resumed the practice of law. He continued to live and work in the community that had long been the center of his professional and political life. Nat Patton died on July 27, 1957, and was interred in Evergreen Memorial Park in Crockett, Texas, closing a career that spanned teaching, local and state office, and ten years in the United States House of Representatives.