Staunchly Pro-Segregationist John Malcolm Patterson, the 44th Governor of the U.S. State of Alabama, Dies at 90 in Goldville, Alabama
June 6, 2021
GOLDVILLE, ALABAMA (AGN.News) – Former Segregationist Governor John Malcolm Patterson (September 27, 1921 – June 4, 2021) of Alabama from 1959 to 1963 and as Alabama’s attorney general from 1955 to 1959 passed away on Friday, June 4, 2021 surrounded by family and friends.
Patterson sought and ran with the support of the Ku Klux Klan when he won the governorship of Alabama in 1958. His time in office was somewhat turbulent as the civil rights movement accelerated its marches and demonstrations.
As governor he did very little to protect African Americans in the struggle. Local police departments were very abusive towards Americans wanting to be treated fairly and justly.
Many looked to the governor for help to stop the abuse, but none came and the abuse intensified. With the help of local Ku Klux Klan members, local authorities turned a blind eye to their violent actions.
Governor Patterson knew the era of White supremacists was essentially over. He knew the time was up when authorities could abuse and murder non-violent protesters with impunity. He tried to make amends and get on the right side of history where “all men are created equal.”
Patterson said he knew segregation couldn’t be maintained under the Constitution, but he wanted to delay its end. His time in office saw attacks on the Freedom Riders who were seeking to integrate bus waiting rooms and lunch counters. Patterson said later he mistakenly trusted police in Birmingham and Montgomery to protect the Freedom Riders, but they didn’t.
In 2003 Patterson said, “I regret it, and it was bad for my administration.” As governor, Patterson had black students who staged a sit-in at Alabama State University expelled, and defended Alabama’s voter registration policies against federal criticism.
Despite all of the segregation activity, Governor Patterson increased funding for highways, inland waterways, schools, and mental health facilities. Laws curtailing loan sharking were also passed.
According to reports on a 2009 interview with Sam Webb, co-editor of the book “Alabama Governors,” said Patterson was “a brave and courageous” governor on many fronts, but those accomplishments were overshadowed by race issues.
“Unfortunately what will stand out in John Patterson’s case is his vociferous opposition to civil rights and racial integration,” said Webb, a historian at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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