Patterson, Robert Porter, Sr.

Born February 12, 1891, in Glens Falls, NY
Died January 22, 1952, in Elizabeth, NJ

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Nominated by Herbert Hoover on April 24, 1930, to a seat vacated by Thomas D. Thacher. Confirmed by the Senate on May 13, 1930, and received commission on May 13, 1930. Service terminated on March 23, 1939, due to appointment to another judicial position.

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Nominated by Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 9, 1939, to a seat vacated by Martin Thomas Manton. Confirmed by the Senate on March 20, 1939, and received commission on March 21, 1939. Service terminated on July 30, 1940, due to resignation.

Education:
Union College, A.B., 1912
Harvard Law School, LL.B., 1915

Professional Career:

Private practice, New York City, 1915-1916, 1919-1930, 1947-1952
New York Army National Guard, 1916-1917
U.S. Army, 1917-1919
Assistant secretary of war, 1940
Undersecretary of war, 1940-1945
Secretary of War, 1945-1947

Bibliography

Eiler, Keith E. Mobilizing America: Robert P. Patterson and the War Effort, 1940-1945. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997.

Manuscript Collections

Library of Congress
Washington, D.C.
Robert P. Patterson, Sr. papers, 1940-1951.
47,800 items; finding aid; restricted; collection contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, and speeches related to Patterson's government service and legal career.

Oral History

Robert P. Patterson Project. Oral history, 1960-1962. Interviews on the life of Judge Robert Porter Patterson (1891-1952) as related by his associates covering his career as a lawyer, United States District and Circuit judge, Assistant Secretary of War, Under Secretary of War, and Secretary of War. Transcript: 585 leaves and miscellaneous papers relating to oral history. Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

Portraits

[Robert Porter Patterson, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front]; artist unknown; Photograph; [between 1940 and 1950]; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., ref. #: LC-USZ62-115606.

Additional images:

[Robert Porter Patterson, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing left]; artist unknown; Photograph; [between 1940 and 1950]; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., ref. #: LC-USZ62-115609.

[Robert P. Patterson, Secretary of War, half-length portrait, standing at his desk in his office in Washington, D.C., facing front]; by U.S. Army Signal Corps; Photograph; [1945 or 1946]; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., ref. #: LC-USZ62-100789.

[Robert Porter Patterson, 1891-1952, bust portrait, facing left]; artist unknown; Photograph; 1945; Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., ref. #: LC-USZ62-49118.

Robert Porter Patterson; by Joseph Cummings Chase; Oil on academy board; ca. 1946; National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., ref.#: 166217/46981.

Federal Judicial Center

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Patterson, Robert Porter, Sr.