David T. Patterson
Encyclopedia
David Trotter Patterson (February 28, 1818 November 3, 1891) was a United States Senator
from Tennessee
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
which had been part of the former Confederacy
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
, who was President of the United States
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
by the United States House of Representatives
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
in Greeneville.
David Trotter Patterson (February 28, 1818 November 3, 1891) was a United States Senator
from Tennessee
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
which had been part of the former Confederacy
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
, who was President of the United States
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
by the United States House of Representatives
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
in Greeneville.
David Trotter Patterson (February 28, 1818 November 3, 1891) was a United States Senator
from Tennessee
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
which had been part of the former Confederacy
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
, who was President of the United States
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
by the United States House of Representatives
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
in Greeneville.
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
which had been part of the former Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, who was President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
by the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, administered by the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, is a United States national cemetery outside Greeneville, Tennessee, that was established in 1906. It features the grave of the seventeenth President of the United States Andrew Johnson.Andrew Johnson...
in Greeneville.
External links
David Trotter Patterson (February 28, 1818 November 3, 1891) was a United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
which had been part of the former Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, who was President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
by the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, administered by the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, is a United States national cemetery outside Greeneville, Tennessee, that was established in 1906. It features the grave of the seventeenth President of the United States Andrew Johnson.Andrew Johnson...
in Greeneville.
External links
David Trotter Patterson (February 28, 1818 November 3, 1891) was a United States Senator
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
from Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
at the beginning of the Reconstruction Period.
A staunch Union supporter (as were most of his fellow East Tennesseans
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
), he was elected by the Tennessee General Assembly
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
to the U.S. Senate when Tennessee became the first state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
which had been part of the former Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
to be readmitted to the Union on July 24, 1866. He presented his credentials to the Senate on July 26, but they were challenged; he was not permitted to take the oath of office until July 28.
In 1855, Patterson married Martha Johnson, daughter of former Tennessee Governor and Senator Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
, who was President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
when Patterson won Johnson's previously held Senate seat. This placed Patterson in something of an awkward position when Johnson was impeached
Impeachment
Impeachment is a formal process in which an official is accused of unlawful activity, the outcome of which, depending on the country, may include the removal of that official from office as well as other punishment....
by the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
in February 1868. According to the U. S. Constitution, the Senate had the duty to try Johnson on the charges, and did so from March to May 1868, with the House impeachment managers failing to prove their case by a margin of one vote short of the constitutionally-imposed requirement of a two-thirds majority. (Patterson felt that his father-in-law was not guilty and that the charges against him were contrived, which has generally been the consensus of historians in the decades following the impeachment but not a sentiment shared universally.)
Patterson retired from public life when his Senate term expired on March 4, 1869, simultaneous with that of his father-in-law's as President. He returned to East Tennessee to manage his relatively vast agricultural interests. On November 3, 1891, Patterson died in the small community of Afton and was interred with the Johnson family in the Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
Andrew Johnson National Cemetery
The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery, administered by the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, is a United States national cemetery outside Greeneville, Tennessee, that was established in 1906. It features the grave of the seventeenth President of the United States Andrew Johnson.Andrew Johnson...
in Greeneville.