#43 John M. Pattison

John M. Pattison

Born: June 13, 1847

Died June 18, 1906

Political Party: Democrat

Term of Office: January 8, 1906-June 18, 1906

Buried: Greenlawn Cemetery Milford, Ohio

No. 41 of 58

       John M. Pattison was born in Owensville, Ohio in 1847 to a country store owning father. Growing up he worked in his fathers store as well as on nearby farms. He joined the Union Army during the Civil War at the age of 16 and served until the war's end. After the war he attended Ohio Wesleyan University, where he had to work his way through school by working as a farm hand and a school teacher. He graduated in 1869.

     After graduation, Pattison worked for a short time for an insurance company in Illinois. He then moved to Cincinnati to study law. He graduated from Cincinnati Law School in 1872 and was admitted to the Ohio bar that same year. As a lawyer he started to provide legal counsel to the Cincinnati and Marietta Railroad. 

    Pattison won a seat in the state legislature in 1873. But after one term he returned home to his law practice - Yaple, Moos and Pattison. He would become vice president of the Union Central Life Insurance Company in 1881, and then it's president in 1891. He achieved much success in this position. 

   In 1890, Pattison was chosen to fill into a vacant seat in the Ohio State Senate. Then the following year he won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. After one term in Washington he lost reelection and returned home to focus his attention on his many business dealing. 

    During the election of 1905, Democrats in Ohio chose Pattison as their candidate for Governor. He fought a successful campaign, beating sitting Governor Myron T. Herrick. Pattison was in favor of the Prohibition of alcohol and wanted to fight against city bosses. But by the time Inauguration day came, Pattison's health had taken a turn for the worst. He was suffering from Bright's disease ( kidney failure). He left for home shortly after his Inauguration and never returned to the executive offices. He died at home 5 months later, making him the shortest serving elected Governor of Ohio. 

    In late April, 2017, I took a day trip to the Cincinnati area. I wanted to revisit Spring Grove Cemetery down there to get better pictures of the 9 Governor gravesites that are there. While in the cemetery a nasty storm broke out. I was able to see all 9, but got very wet in the process. After the cemetery, my kids and I headed to President Taft's birthplace home to meet a Presidential history enthusiast friend of mine. After the Taft home, we proceeded to President Grant's birthplace where they were having birthday festivities for him. After Grant's birthplace I headed back towards Cincinnati to pick up 3 more Governor gravesites along the east side of Cincinnati on the way home. Governor Pattison was the 1st of these 3 stops. The others would be Governors Jeremiah Morrow and Thomas Corwin. At the end of the day I had visited the gravesites of 12 Governors. Definitely a single day high for me.

Governor Pattison and I