John Pattison wanted to be successful in life. He knew it would take a good education, hard work and application of common sense. There was still one missing ingredient, however. His parents did not give him a middle name . He began searching for one and settled on - "M" -just the initial "M".
He was born on June 13, 1847, to William and Mary (Duckwall) Pattison in Owensville, Ohio. He grew up working in his dad's store and on local farms. Although under aged at sixteen, Pattison enlisted in the 153rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry in May of 1864. His regiment, composed of mostly men from Clermont County, was an Ohio National Guard unit that was ordered to national service for 100 days. After nine days of "basic training", the 929-man regiment left Camp Dennison, for West Virginia to protect the vital Baltimore and Ohio rail line. The young war veteran returned home in September to attend Wesleyan College in Delaware, Ohio. He paid his tuition and living expenses by teaching school and by doing farm labor. He did not neglect his studies, graduating after just twenty months in attendance.Pattison accepted a position as an agent with the Union Central Life Insurance Company in Bloomington, Illinois. He left the company to return to Ohio to study law. He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1872 and was hired as house counsel for the Marietta Railroad company. A year later Pattison was elected to the Ohio General Assembly. He declined reelection so he could spend more time practicing law. On December 10, 1879, he married Alethia Williams, the daughter of his Greek professor. Soon after the marriage, Mrs. Pattison moved into her husband's home, Promont, in Milford. The insurance business caught his fancy again. He rejoined the Union Central Life Insurance Company as vice president and general manager. Ten years later he became the firm's president. Under his leadership the company prospered due to "his compelling personality, executive capacity, and ability to organize."Politics were never far from his mind. In 1890 the Democrats chose him to fill a vacancy in the Ohio Senate. He was elected to the same seat with a record breaking vote margin. Pattison was elected to Congress in 1891, but failed to be reelected because of a Republican gerrymander.Back again in private life, he resumed his duties at the insurance company. He awoke at 5:30 a.m. in order to catch the 7:00 a.m. commuter train to Cincinnati. Pattison was actively involved in Milford community affairs as a member of the Milford Methodist Church, Grand Army of the Republic, the Masons, president of the Milford National Bank and owner of the Milford-based Victory Sweeper Company.In early 1905 a toxic wave of corruption allegations crashed into Ohio, enveloping Republican incumbent Governor Myron T. Herrick. The governor was accused of improper relationships with the whiskey and gaming industries. Herrick's critics also slammed him for being a puppet of the notorious political chieftain Cincinnati's "Boss " James Cox. Democrats saw an opportunity to break the Republican's decades-long stranglehold on Ohio state politics. The Democrats had to find a squeaky clean candidate to give the voters a clear choice.Ohio's Democrat newspapers settled on Pattison, noting his strong reputation for integrity, his business experience and his support of progressive causes. Supporters believed that Pattison, a lifelong teetotaler, would draw votes from the Prohibition Party, a growing political power in the state. The party had their man. Was he interested in reentering the fray? He was.Pattison was nominated for governor in June 1905. He was very surprised when he returned from the convention to find more than 500 well wishers crowded upon the decorated grounds of his home. Luminaries of both parties spoke glowingly of the candidate-giving the campaign hope that Pattison could attract disillusioned Republicans. Throughout the campaign Pattison hammered on the corruption, especially Herrick's relationship with Cox. He called them an "oligarchy of gangsters." The defining moment of the campaign came on September 23, 1905, when Secretary of War William Howard Taft rebuked the Hamilton County "machine ticket", announcing he would not vote for anyone connected to "Boss Cox." Ohio voted on November 7, 1905. Pattison won with 50.53% of the vote, carrying fifty-seven of eighty-eight counties. Herrick received 45.98% of the total. The remainder was split between the Prohibition Party and two Socialist parties.John M. Pattison was inaugurated on January 8, 1906, as Ohio's forty-third Governor. The promise of his tenure was cut short when he died of a cold just five months later on June 18,1906.
