Henry R. Pattengill was born on January 4, 1852, in Mount Vision, New York, to parents Lemuel C. and Mary G.

[2] At Wilson, at seven years old, Pattengill experienced a near-fatal accident in which he was run over by a mechanical reaper being pulled by horses.

[4] After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1874, Pattengill was appointed Superintendent of Schools in St. Louis in Gratiot County.

[3][4] In 1883, Pattengill was elected to the county Board of School Examiners, and the same year was made secretary of the Michigan Teachers' Association.

[3] In 1884, Pattengill ran as a Republican candidate for the state legislature, but was defeated by Democrat Henry A.

[5][1] In 1884, Pattengill moved to Grand Rapids after being offered the position of assistant editor of the Michigan School Moderator magazine.

[5] In addition to the magazine, Pattengill published a number of textbooks, including those of which he wrote himself, such as the Civil Government of Michigan.

[5] In 1888, Pattengill began an annual reunion event between him and his students from his time as an educator at Gratiot County.

[11] Pattengill also returned to the textbook publishing business after his tenure as superintendent of public instruction.

[16] Former President Theodore Roosevelt endorsed Pattengill's gubernatorial campaign instead of Republican nominee Chase S.

[19] On the campaign trail, Pattengill voiced approval for the prohibition of alcohol and women's suffrage.

[33] On January 8, 1920, the Detroit Board of Education passed a resolution to build an elementary school named after Pattengill.

[35] In November 1921, the Michigan State Teachers' Association established high school scholarships in Pattengill's name.

[36] In 1924, there was a cairn monument built and dedicated to Pattengill in Ithaca, on land that was once a school building where he taught.

In 2010, it was registered as a Michigan State Historic Site, and a plaque commemorating Pattengill was erected in 2011.