Jerry E. Patterson was born in Houston and graduated from Texas A&M University, Class of 1969. He was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps, serving in Vietnam and later as a Naval Flight Officer flying F-4s in Marine fighter squadrons until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1993. Five generations of Patterson’s family have served the nation in wartime.
As state senator for District 11, Patterson’s legislative accomplishments include the passage of a constitutional amendment allowing home equity lending in Texas, creation of the Texas State Veterans Home Program, and the establishment of the state coastal management plan. He is best known as the author of Texas’s concealed handgun law, Senate Bill 60 (1995), and has remained a leading advocate for Second Amendment rights ever since.
Patterson’s deep commitment to Texas history earned him recognition as Texan of the Year in 2007 by Celebrate Texas. His preservation efforts have included defending Confederate monuments, advancing commemorations of Buffalo Soldiers and Tejanos, creating the Juneteenth Commission for a monument at the State Capitol, and championing the legacy of those who died at the Alamo.
Elected Texas Land Commissioner in 2002, Patterson oversaw numerous historic preservation initiatives. Under his leadership, authority over the Alamo was transferred to the Texas General Land Office in 2011. In 2013, he arranged the return of William B. Travis’s “Victory or Death” letter to the Alamo—its first visit since 1836—and facilitated Phil Collins’s donation of his extensive Alamo artifact collection to the State of Texas.
Patterson has four children: twins Samantha and Cole, and Emily and Travis. His daughter Emily is an attorney specializing in developing judicial systems in emerging democracies, and his son Travis, a Texas A&M graduate, served four tours in the Middle East as a Marine pilot, including as a Marine One pilot for the President of the United States.
Now retired, Jerry Patterson lives in Austin, continuing to advocate for history education and the preservation of Texas heritage.
