Background
"Ned" Pattison was born in Troy, New York on April 29, 1932.
United States representative lawyer politician
"Ned" Pattison was born in Troy, New York on April 29, 1932.
He graduated from Cornell University in 1953, and served in the United States Army from 1954 until 1956.
He received a law degree from Cornell Law School in 1957 and practiced in Troy. He served as Rensselaer County Treasurer from 1970 until 1975. Pattison unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1970 against Carleton J. King, and for Rensselaer County Executive in 1973.
Pattison was elected to Congress in 1974 as a post-Watergate Democrat in a predominantly Republican district and served from January 3, 1975 until January 3, 1979.
During his second term, he served on the House Banking Committee. He lost a bid for re-election in 1978 against Gerald B. H. Solomon.
After leaving Congress Pattison returned to practicing law, and also worked as a political commentator on local television and radio. He died in West Sand Lake, New York and was buried in Troy"s Oakwood Cemetery.
Pattison"s son, Mark was elected Mayor of Troy in 1995 and re-elected in 1999.
The government center for Rensselaer County is named for him.
While a Member of the House of Representatives, he first served on the House Committee on the Judiciary, where as a freshman Representative, he played a key role in the reform of the national copyright law. Members of the Pattison family continue to be active in local politics.