He headed relief efforts after the 1913 Dayton flood, and successfully promoted the city manager form of government.

In 1893 he constructed the first "daylight factory" buildings with floor-to-ceiling glass windows that let in light and could be opened to let in fresh air as well.

Based on a 16-page handbook written by his brother-in-law, Patterson established the world's first sales training school on the grounds of the NCR factory campus (at Sugar Camp in Dayton, Ohio).

Patterson was famous for firing Thomas Watson Sr,[4] who went on to become General Manager, then President, of CTR, later renamed IBM.

So many prominent businessmen were trained and fired by Patterson that some business historians regarded experience at NCR as the rough equivalent of an MBA degree.

Patterson, Watson and 26 other NCR executives and managers were convicted of illegal anti-competitive sales practices and were sentenced to one year of imprisonment.

NCR employees built nearly 300 flat-bottomed boats and Patterson organized rescue teams to save the thousands of people stranded on roofs and the upper stories of buildings.

[9] John's nephew, Lt Frank Patterson, was killed in 1918 when his military aircraft crashed near Dayton, Ohio, one of the early WW1 casualties in the US.

Patterson died on May 7, 1922, two days after reviewing plans with General Billy Mitchell to develop a center for aviation research in Dayton.