[2] He served with the Royal Australian Air Force and was discharged on 25 September 1945.

[3] Patterson was elected as an Australian Labor Party member for the House of Representatives seat of Dawson, Queensland at a by-election in 1966.

In this role, Patterson was concerned with the Australian sugar and beef industries as well as the specialised development and utilisation of land, water and minerals in northern Australia.

[4] On 19 October 1973, he was sworn in as Minister for the Northern Territory by Queen Elizabeth II, the only occasion when an Australian minister has been sworn in by the Monarch of Australia directly (rather than by the Governor-General of Australia).

In June 1975, Patterson's portfolios were combined and retitled as Minister for Northern Australia.