Grady Patterson

Grady Patterson
South Carolina Treasurer
In office
January 11, 1999 – January 3, 2007
GovernorDavid Beasley
Jim Hodges
Mark Sanford
Preceded byRichard Eckstrom
Succeeded byThomas Ravenel
In office
January 17, 1967 – January 11, 1995
GovernorRobert Evander McNair
John C. West
James B. Edwards
Richard Riley
Carroll A. Campbell Jr.
Preceded byJefferson Bates
Succeeded byRichard Eckstrom
Personal details
BornJanuary 13, 1924
Calhoun Falls, South Carolina
DiedDecember 7, 2009(2009-12-07) (aged 85)
Resting placeElmwood Memorial Gardens, Columbia, South Carolina
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseMarjorie H. Faucett (m. 1951)
Children6 - Grady L. (III), Steven G., Lynne, Laura, Amy, and Beth
ResidenceColumbia, South Carolina
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina (B.A., J.D.)
OccupationMilitary Officer
Politician
AwardsAir Force Distinguished Service Medal
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceSouth Carolina Air National Guard
Years of service1946–1984
Rank Lieutenant General

Grady Leslie Patterson, Jr. (January 13, 1924 – December 7, 2009) was a Democratic Party politician who served as the South Carolina Treasurer and a United States Air Force Lieutenant General.[1]

Born in Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, Patterson graduated from University of South Carolina. He served in World War II in the U.S. Army Air Forces, flying missions from Iwo Jima as a fighter pilot. In 1946, he became a member of the South Carolina Air National Guard serving in the Korean War and the Berlin Airlift.[2] He also served as Chief of Staff for the South Carolina Air National Guard and Assistant to the Commander of the United States Air Force Logistics Command. When he retired in 1984, the South Carolina State Legislature promoted him from Major General to Lieutenant General.[3]

Patterson served as Assistant Attorney General under Dan McLeod in 1959 until he was first elected in 1966 as the State Treasurer after the death of Jefferson Bates. He was re-elected in 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1986 and 1990, serving a total of 36 years.[2] He was defeated by Republican Richard Eckstrom in the Republican Revolution of 1994 but defeated Eckstrom in a rematch in 1998. He was re-elected in 2002 but in 2006, he was defeated by Republican Thomas Ravenel.[2]

  1. ^ "Add a Memory to Mr. Grady Leslie Patterson, Jr.'s Obituary - Tributes.com". Myfox8.tributes.com. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  2. ^ a b c Smith, Gina; O'Connor, John (December 8, 2009). "Steward of Taxes - Former Treasurer Patterson Dies at 85". The State.
  3. ^ "1983-1984 Bill 3641: To promote Major General Grady L. Patterson, Jr., to the rank of lieutenant general effective upon his retirement from the South Carolina Air National Guard - South Carolina Legislature Online". www.scstatehouse.gov. Retrieved 2020-04-30.