{{Infobox Governor

|image= RobertEmoryPattison.jpg

|caption=

|order= 19th

|office= Governor of Pennsylvania

|term_start= January 16, 1883

|term_end= January 12, 1887<br>January 20, 1891 – January 23, 1895

|lieutenant=

|predecessor= [[Henry M. Hoyt]] (1883)<br>[[James A. Beaver]] (1891)

|successor= [[James A. Beaver]] (1887)<br>[[Daniel H. Hastings]] (1895)

|birth_date= December 8, 1850

|birth_place= [[Quantico, Maryland]]

|death_date= {{dda|1904|08|1|1850|12|8}}

|death_place=

|party= [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]

|profession=

|spouse=

|religion =

|footnotes=

}}

'''Robert Emory Pattison''' (8 December 1850 – 1 August 1904) was the [[List of Governors of Pennsylvania|19th]] Governor]] of [[Pennsylvania]] from 1883 to 1887 and 1891 to 1895. Born at [[Quantico, Maryland|Quantico]] in [[Somerset County, Maryland]], Pattison's family moved to [[Philadelphia]] when he was five. He practiced law from 1872 to 1877 and was elected [[Controller (accounting)|Controller]] of the city of [[Philadelphia]] in 1880. He was the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]] candidate for governor at the young age of 32, and, with little experience in public office, took the governor's office back from a succession of [[United States Republican Party|Republican]] administrations. Under the [[Pennsylvania Constitution|constitution]] of 1874, Pennsylvania governors, now serving a 4-year term, were prevented from seeking two consecutive terms. Pattison's opponent in the 1882 election, [[James Addams Beaver]], held the post for a term before Pattison sought the office once again in 1890. During his second term, he ordered state [[militia]] to halt the [[Homestead Strike]].

A key to Pattison's success was his close relationship with the Democratic leader of Philadelphia, retired General Lewis Cassidy. He studied law under Cassidy, and was admitted to the bar at the age of 21. Although he campaigned as an anti- [[political machine]] reformer, he appointed Cassidy as [[Attorney General]] of Pennsylvania. He did constant battle with machine interests, and in his second term enacted legislation providing for a [[secret ballot]] for voters in all elections.

Pattison's feat of being elected to a state governorship at the age of 31 was matched in the 20th and 21st Centuries only by [[Harold Stassen]], elected Governor of [[Minnesota]] in 1938. [[Bill Clinton]] would be elected Governor of Arkansas at the age of 32. Ironically, Stassen would move to Pennsylvania and be defeated as the Republican nominee for [[Mayor]] of Philadelphia in 1959, and as a candidate for the Republican nomination for Governor in 1958 and 1966.

Pattison's success at a young age led him to be promoted for other offices. He was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Mayor of Philadelphia in 1893, an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic Presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in 1896, and an unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial nominee for a third term as Governor in 1902. The New York Times obituary of Pattison credited the stress of his final gubernatorial campaign against [[Samuel W. Pennypacker]] with leading to his death at the age of 53.

Pattison Avenue in [[South Philadelphia]] is named after him. In the late 1970s, an award to a graduating senior in his honor was established at [[Central High School of Philadelphia]], his alma mater, where he served was class [[valedictorian]].

==External links==

*{{worldcat id|lccn-no2002-39948}}

*{{findagrave|12896}}

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{{succession box | before=[[Henry Martin Hoyt]] |title=[[Governor of Pennsylvania]] | years=1883–1887 | after=[[James Addams Beaver]]}}

{{succession box | before=[[James Addams Beaver]] |title=[[Governor of Pennsylvania]] | years=1891–1895 | after=[[Daniel Hartman Hastings]]}}

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{{Governors and Presidents of Pennsylvania}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pattison, Robert}}

[[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1904]]

[[Category:Governors of Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:People from Pennsylvania]]

[[Category:1850 births]]

[[Category:1904 deaths]]

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