His mother moved to California after his father was killed during the war, and Patton was educated in Los Angeles.

Patton married the daughter of Benjamin Davis Wilson, one of California's wealthiest men, and moved with his family to a San Gabriel estate called Lake Vineyard.

[2][3] Patton's father served in the Confederate States Army and attained the rank of colonel as commander of the 22nd Virginia Infantry Regiment.

[1][10][11] He remained at the school for a year as an instructor of Latin,[1] then returned to California to study law at Glassell & Smith.

[17] In January 1887, he became Los Angeles County District Attorney and he served until resigning in April 1887 because of ill health.

[18][19][20][21] The Patton family later moved to Lake Vineyard, a large landholding in San Gabriel, California, where they grew oranges, operated a winery, and raised other crops.

[22][23] In 1894, Patton was the Democratic nominee for the United States House of Representatives from California's 6th District and lost to Republican James McLaclan.

[27] Beginning in 1902, Patton worked as an executive for Huntington's real estate development company, which was responsible for construction and settlement in much of the San Gabriel Valley, and extended throughout southern California.

[30] Running as a conservative opposed to women's suffrage and other reforms, on November 7, 1916, Patton lost the general election to Governor Hiram Johnson, a progressive Republican.