John R. Pattison (1860-1940)
MSA SC 3520-14464
Judge, Court of Appeals, 1909-1934
Biography:
Born January 6, 1860, in
Dorchester County, Maryland. Educated in Dorchester County public
schools. Studied law with Sewell T. Milburn. Admitted to bar in 1882.
Married Lillian Stapleforte in 1888; one son, John, Jr., who died at
the age of eleven. Died August 25, 1940, in Dorchester County,
Maryland.
Teacher, lawyer and judge. In the early days of his career, John R.
Pattison taught at the Cambridge Academy in Cambridge, Maryland. He was
elected Dorchester County State's Attorney in 1887. He was defeated
four years later by Philips
Lee Goldsborough. Pattison was an unsuccesful candidate for U.S.
Senator in 1896, however, he was elected to the Maryland House of
Delegates four years later, serving during the 1900 and 1901 sessions.
Pattison established a large legal practice in Dorchester County. He
counted the Pennsylvania Railroad, the Dorchester National Bank, the
Cambridge Manufacturing Company and many other large businesses, among
his clients. In 1909, Pattison defeated Winder Laird Henry to become
the Chief Judge of the First Judicial Circuit, and thereby attained a
seat on the bench of the Court of Appeals. In 1929, the Maryland
General Assembly passed
a resolution extending Judge Pattison's term until the November
1934 election. This action allowed him to serve on the bench past the
mandatory age of retirement. Judge Pattison retired in December 1934.
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