ending racial bars in public schools was a political third rail in Alabama. An authorized biography of Patterson entitled Nobody but the People, written by historian Warren Trest, was published in 2008 by New South Books. Personal life John Malcolm Patterson was married three times. He married his first wife, Gladys Broadwater, in 1942. Patterson soon regretted the marriage, and he and Gladys divorced soon after he entered university. He married his second wife, Mary Jo McGowin, in 1947. During this marriage, Patterson engaged in a long-running extramarital affair with another woman, Tina Sawyer. Although Mary Jo was deeply affected by the affair, news of which damaged Patterson's reputation, she stayed in the marriage and eventually became accustomed to his dalliance. After 28 years of marriage and citing infidelity, Mary Jo Patterson filed for divorce; it was finalized on June 10, 1975. Patterson married Sawyer on September 30, 1975. Mary Jo died in 1985. Patterson was the last living U.S. governor who had served in the 1950s. He died at his home in Goldville on June 4, 2021, 115 days short of his 100th birthday. Electoral history Alabama gubernatorial election, 1958: Democratic primary: John Malcolm Patterson – 196,859 (31.82%) George Wallace – 162,435 (26.26%) James H. Faulkner – 91,512 (14.79%) A. W. Todd – 59,240 (9.58%) Laurie Battle – 38,955 (6.30%) George C. Hawkins – 24,332 (3.93%) C. C. Owen – 15,270 (2.47%) Karl Harrison – 12,488 (2.02%) Billy Walker – 7,963 (1.29%) W. E. Dodd – 4,753 (0.77%) John G. Crommelin – 2,245 (0.36%) Shearen Elebash – 1,177 (0.19%) James Gulatte – 798 (0.13%) Shorty Price – 655 (0.11%) Democratic primary runoff: John Malcolm Patterson – 315,353 (55.74%) George Wallace – 250,451 (44.27%) General election: John Malcolm Patterson (D) – 234,583 (88.22%) William Longshore (R) – 30,415 (11.44%) William Jackson (I) – 903 (0.34%) 1966 Alabama gubernatorial election Democratic primary: Lurleen Wallace – 480,841 (54.10%) Richmond Flowers – 172,386 (19.40%) Carl A. Elliot – 71,972 (8.10%) Bob Gilchrist – 49,502 (5.57%) Charles Woods – 41,148 (4.63%) John Malcolm Patterson – 31,011 (3.49%) Jim Folsom – 24,145 (2.72%) A. W. Todd – 9,013 (1.01%) Sherman Powell – 7,231 (0.81%) Eunice Gore – 1,589 (0.18%) Election of Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, 1970: Democratic primary: Howell Heflin – 550,997 (65.71%) John Malcolm Patterson – 287,594 (34.30%) Further reading References External links |- |- |- |- 1921 births 2021 deaths