Albert Patterson

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Albert Love Patterson (January 27, 1894 – June 18, 1954) was an American lawyer and reformer based in Phenix City, Alabama. He is known for his dedication to fighting corruption and vice in Phenix City and Russell County.

Patterson was born in New Site, Alabama, and grew up on a farm with seven siblings. He left Alabama as a teenager and lived in East Texas, where he worked on farms and oil fields. He joined the military, earning a commission as a second lieutenant in the Texas forces, and served in World War I with the 36th Infantry Division in France. He was wounded in battle and received the Croix de Guerre for his service.

After the war, Patterson returned to Alabama to study and work. He earned a teaching certificate, worked as a high school principal, and completed his history degree at the University of Alabama in 1926. He then earned a law degree from Cumberland University in Tennessee. Patterson practiced law in Opelika and Alexander City before settling in Phenix City in 1933.

In politics, Patterson served on the Phenix City Board of Education beginning in 1937 and chaired the Russell County Draft Board by 1940. He was elected to the Alabama State Senate, serving from 1947 to 1951. He helped pass important laws, including the Wallace-Cater Act to finance industrial plants with bonds and the Trade School Act to establish Alabama trade schools.

In the early 1950s Patterson became involved with the Russell Betterment Association, a group campaigning against corruption in Phenix City. The association’s efforts contributed to major investigations and reforms. Patterson ran for Alabama Attorney General on a reform platform and won the Democratic nomination in 1954, but he was assassinated outside his law office in Phenix City on June 18, 1954, shortly after leaving work.

The murder prompted a statewide crackdown. Martial law was declared in Phenix City, and the National Guard helped restore order. A grand jury issued hundreds of indictments against local officials and criminals tied to organized crime. Patterson’s son, John Malcolm Patterson, later won the Attorney General race in 1955 and became Alabama’s governor in 1958, continuing the fight against corruption. Patterson was married to Agnes Benson.