He represented Cape Breton West in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1937 to 1956 as a Liberal member.
He was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, the son of Alexander Patterson and Jeanie McKenzie.
He was educated at the Sydney Academy and Dalhousie University, where he studied law.
Patterson served as Crown Prosecutor for Cape Breton County from 1921 to 1925 and from 1935 to 1952.
This article about a Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly is a stub.