43 Facts About Lucy Patterson

Lucy Patterson was the first African American woman elected to the Dallas City Council.

Lucy Patterson's mother was a social worker for the Dallas Independent School District and was the first African American faculty member of the Graduate School of Social Work for the University of Texas at Arlington.

Lucy Patterson received a Bachelor's in Sociology and Psychology in 1950.

Lucy Patterson and her husband had one son, Albert Harllee Patterson, born August 26,1969, and two foster children, John Austin Joseph and Charlotte Anne Joseph.

Lucy Patterson died in Dallas on June 15,2000, and is buried at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Dallas.

Lucy Patterson won Place 8 of the Dallas City Council in 1973.

Lucy Patterson ran as a Democrat against Judy Lott, an Independent African American school teacher, Clay Smothers, a conservative Republican African American newspaper columnist, and Jasper Baccus, an Independent African American businessman.

Lucy Patterson was the first African American woman endorsed by the Citizen Charter Association, a council-manager system started in 1930 for improving city governments.

Lucy Patterson was endorsed by the political task force Women for Change, Inc.

The original election was April 4,1973, with Lucy Patterson winning 21,733 votes, Smothers 13,788, Baccus 4,557, and Lott 4,404.

Lucy Patterson's political focus included pursuing single-member districts, ensuring quality of life for citizens, supporting school busing, decentralizing the police force, and developing transportation opportunities.

Towards the end of the campaign, Smothers publicly claimed that Lucy Patterson "supported the hanging of Angela Davis' picture in public schools".

Lucy Patterson won 15,051 votes and Smothers won 13,367, a close race evidenced in the difference of votes from varying precincts.

Lucy Patterson agreed to serve the rest of her term without receiving the weekly $50 pay, rejecting offers from the Pylon Salesmanship Club, an African American businessmen's organization, and other council members to pay her weekly salary.

Lucy Patterson served as a member of the city council for free rather than resigning the position.

Lucy Patterson ran for a second term in 1975 against Dan Thomas, a CCA advisor to mayoral candidate John Schoellkopf and a precinct chairman for Progressive Voters League, who filed three hours before the deadline.

Lucy Patterson was endorsed by the CCA for a second term.

Lucy Patterson was endorsed by the Dallas League of Conservation Voters, based on her record on key votes, answers to questionnaires, interviews, public statements, campaign platform and background, and the Neighborhood Conservation Alliance, based on her support for neighborhood quality, improvement, and equal distribution of plan commission members.

Lucy Patterson won Place 8 with 4,184 votes to Thomas' 505.

Lucy Patterson announced she would not seek a fourth term on the city council on January 12,1979.

Lucy Patterson served as the acting chair for the child advocacy community, advocating for accessible childcare facilities and specific guidelines for those facilities.

Lucy Patterson's ideas included 24-hour childcare facility for the Oak Cliff area, turning park recreation centers into daycare facilities for school children, and city-operated care centers paid for city officials.

Lucy Patterson championed a program to find jobs for low-income youths in Dallas to keep them from dropping out of school.

Lucy Patterson advocated that neighborhood coalitions sponsored by the city as opposed to grassroots neighborhood coalitions would promote resistance to integration rather than stabilization.

Lucy Patterson called for the resignation of City Plan Commissioner Harvey Huie when he was accused and found guilty of race-based housing discrimination after refusing to rent an Oak Lawn apartment to a Black woman, but Huie was allowed to continue serving through his appeal process.

Lucy Patterson ran for Congress from the 24th Congressional District in 1982, challenging Martin Frost.

Lucy Patterson had previously endorsed Frost and served on his steering committee.

Lucy Patterson was discouraged by the Democratic Party from challenging Congressman Frost, as well as by the state's court-ordered redistricting map, so Patterson switched parties to run against him.

In 1985, Lucy Patterson was appointed to the National Afro-American History and Cultural Commission by President Ronald Reagan.

Lucy Patterson was a caseworker for the Dallas County Department of Public Welfare for fifteen years.

Lucy Patterson was appointed an assistant professor at the North Texas State University in 1973.

Lucy Patterson left NTSU in 1978 when she was appointed to the Ethel Carter Branham Endowed Chair in Social Work to build a Social Work and Criminal Justice program at Bishop College.

Lucy Patterson was awarded the Woman of the Year Award from the Zeta Phi Beta sorority for being the first African American woman elected to the Dallas City Council, for her civic devotion for community involvement, and for seeking a second term on the council without receiving pay.

Lucy Patterson was a board member of the Mental Health Association of Dallas County.

Lucy Patterson was a part of the Altrusa Club of Dallas, National League of Cities, and Texas Municipal League.

Lucy Patterson was the executive director of the County Child Care Council.

Lucy Patterson was the Director of the Dallas County Childcare Center.

Lucy Patterson was a part of the Women's Council of Dallas County which provided scholarships to students pursuing careers in human services.

In 1971, Lucy Patterson was made co-chair of the Crossroads Community Center.

In 1975, Lucy Patterson was named Social Worker of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers for both her professional contributions and leadership and service to the community.

Lucy Patterson was active in the Dallas County Department of Public Welfare, Dallas County Community Action Committee, League of Women Voters, and Planned Parenthood of Dallas.

Lucy Patterson received an award from Women's Council of Dallas County for scholarship and community service.

Lucy Patterson received an award from the Dallas Negro Chamber of Commerce.