R. L. Patterson

R. L. PattersonTerm Served

May 1875 to November 1876

Accomplishments in Office

As mayor, Patterson was instrumental in bringing the Northeastern Railroad, which eventually became the Southern Railroad, from Greensboro to Winston.

Personal Life

Rufus Patterson was a distinguished judge and banker before moving to Salem where he owned a combined cotton, flour, and paper mill.  He signed the Ordinance of Secession for North Carolina.  After the War he became a successful businessman with his father-in-law Francis Fries a prominent manufacturer and merchant. Patterson was one of the first and most active of the early Salem Commissioners.