Elizabeth Johnston "Liz" Patterson (born November 18, 1939 in Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia, South Carolina

Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...

) is an American politician from the Democratic Party

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

. She is a former member of the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. Her father, Olin D. Johnston

Olin D. Johnston

Olin DeWitt Talmadge Johnston was a Democratic Party politician from the US state of South Carolina. He served as the 98th Governor of South Carolina, 1935–1939 and 1943–1945, and represented the state in the United States Senate from 1945 until his death in 1965.-Early Life, Military Involvement,...

, served as Governor of South Carolina and as U.S. Senator from South Carolina.

Patterson grew up in Kensington, Maryland

Kensington, Maryland

Kensington is a town in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,873 at the 2000 census. Greater Kensington encompasses the entire 20895 zip code and its population is an order of magnitude larger than that of the town at its center....

. She graduated from Columbia College

Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina)

Columbia College is a private liberal arts women's college in Columbia, South Carolina. The school is affiliated with United Methodist Church and has more than 1,500 students...

 of South Carolina and did graduate work at the University of South Carolina

University of South Carolina

The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...

. She worked in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, for the Peace Corps

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...

 and the Office of Economic Opportunity

Office of Economic Opportunity

The Office of Economic Opportunity was the agency responsible for administering most of the War on Poverty programs created as part of United States President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society legislative agenda.- History :...

 during the Administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...

. Patterson also worked as the South Carolina director of the Head Start Program and as an assistant to Congressman James R. Mann

James Robert Mann (South Carolina)

James Robert Mann was a soldier, lawyer and a United States Representative from South Carolina.-Early life and career:...

.

Patterson served on the Spartanburg County Council from 1975 to 1976 and in the South Carolina State Senate from 1979 to 1986. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district

South Carolina's 4th congressional district

The 4th Congressional District of South Carolina is a congressional district in upstate South Carolina bordering North Carolina. It includes all of Greenville, Spartanburg and Union counties and a part of Laurens county. The district is characterized by the two major cities of Greenville and...

 in 1986, succeeding Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.

Carroll A. Campbell, Jr.

Carroll Ashmore Campbell, Jr. was a U.S. Republican Party politician who served as 112th Governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995.-Early life:He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, the oldest of six children...

, who had given up the seat to make a successful run for Governor of South Carolina

Governor of South Carolina

The Governor of the State of South Carolina is the head of state for the State of South Carolina. Under the South Carolina Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the South Carolina executive branch. The Governor is the ex officio...

. She narrowly defeated Greenville

Greenville, South Carolina

-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...

 mayor Bill Workman, despite Campbell's presence atop the ticket. She was narrowly re-elected in 1988 even as George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

 carried the 4th by the largest margin in the state. She won a third term with considerably less difficulty in 1990 even as Campbell won reelection in a landslide. She served on the House Committees on Banking and Veterans Affairs.

Although she represented a district that had been trending Republican for some time, Patterson was thought to be fairly secure, given her family ties and the fact she won three straight elections under difficult conditions. It thus came as a surprise when she was narrowly defeated for re-election in 1992 by Bob Inglis

Bob Inglis

Robert Durden "Bob" Inglis, Sr. is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1993 to 1999, and then again from 2005 until 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party...

, an attorney who had never run for office before. She was the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant governor

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...

 of South Carolina in 1994. She now teaches political science at Spartanburg Methodist College

Spartanburg Methodist College

Spartanburg Methodist College is a private, two-year institution of higher learning, or junior college, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is the only independent, regionally-accredited, residential two-year college in South Carolina....

 and is the chairwoman of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party. No woman has served in Congress from South Carolina since Patterson left office.

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