Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1882-07-13
SKETCH OF THE CANDIDATE
FOR GOVERNOR.
How Robert Emory Pattlson in a
Few Years Has Risen to Fame.

rev ears has c1SSu IO dInS'
Only four and n half years have elapsed since
the man who was nominated yesterday 10 gov
ern more than four millions of people, and who
was then only twenty-Seven years Of age, left a
small law practice 10 Secon.e Controller OF the
city of Philadelphia, having been elected 10y
majority OF ,962 votes over james w. Sayre.
Before then he was unknown to the public.
Three years later the novelty OF having Il Con-
troller who really controlled and who stood
sternly and immOvaby between the public job
ber and the City Treasury had made Robert
Emory PattlSUn 50 popular in Philadelphia
that in all the partisan eXcltementof the PreSi'
dental election, which resulted in q majority
here of % sS3 for Garfield and OF u, 7T6 for Will
lam T.. LlttletOn, Republican candidate for
Clerk OF the Quarter Session, the Democratic
candidate for Controller was reelected by B,-
46l votes, ora majority of 1853 over one of
Philadelphia'S most esteemed citizens and sue
ceSSful merchant-E. Harper JeffrieS, whom
the combined ring managers had prevailed up
on to sacrifice himself, after they had forced off
the ticket an equally eStimable candidate
Joel Cook.
Mr.. Pattison wilInOt be :thirty-two years of
age until the Sth of next December, having
been born in 1850, at Quantico, a village near
Snow Hill, in Somerset county, Maryland. His
father, the Rev. Robert Ii. Pattis0n, who died
seven years ago, was a popular Methodist min
ister who graduated from Dickinson College in
the same class with the Rev: o. II. Tiffany, now
pastor Of the Arch Street NJ. L. Church. The
family came TO Philadelphia when the candI-
date for Governor wSls six years of age, his IA
ther taking charge OF Ausbury NJ: +; Church,
u
Roberts early educational training i'll the pub
lie schools was frequently and diSagreeably i'll
terruped By the yearly change OF residence
that his father, as Methodist minister, was
obliged to make. From the Penn Grammar
School at Mary and Master streets, he was
admitted to the High School, from which he
graduated after fonr years course, delivering
the valedictOry at the commencement" At
that time Lewis c. Cassidy was 4 member OF
the Board of Educ alto II and happened TO be on
the look out for a bright youth to study law in
ffipp. other
feSSional men, before and since, who had such "a
need, Mr. Cassidy told Professor George inman
Richie, principle of the High School, tie kind of
young man he wanted and Mr.. Rche unhesitat-
ingly recommended Bob PattisOn. The youth
was then preparing to enter MckinSon College
and study for the ministry, but he accepted Mr.
CasSidy'S offer and studied ilisently under him
until 1862 when he was admitted to the bar:
Meanwhile, as a member OF the Fourth Regi-
ment OF militia, known rs the Fire ZOuayeS
young Pattison was brought into some public
prominence by his able and successful defence
OF lot OF his fellow members who were court
martialed for inSubOrd inatiOn. After that
whenever the command wanted an orator they
got Mr.. Pattison. His first appearance in the
political field was in 1875, when his friends tried
to have him nominated fOr Clerk OF the Quar-
ter Sessions, but Henry ). Hagert was chosen.
In August, 1877, three months before his first G.
lection as Controller, his name was befOTe the
Democratic State Convention for the Auditor
Generalship. On the first ballot Mr.. Pattison
stood next 10 William L. Scheli but the latter
was nominated on the SecOn dby large maj0ri-
ty month or SO after TINS, when Mr.. Patt
sons legal precep tor met him at the corner OF
Sixth and Chestnut streets suggested that he
ought to be acandidate for ContrOlleg Mr.. Patti
son said he thought he had enough Of politics.
lie was prevailed upon TO run, however, and
his OPP pOrtunty was good one, Tor the u0to-
riOuS administration of Controller Hancock
whom n Judge on the bench characterized as
"Ceberus gorgcd to moral blindness" had CIV
| en- impetus to the political tidal wave that car
| ried into Office Democratic District Attorney,
| Controller and Coroner, III face OF majority
from thousand thou
| sand for Auditor General, State Treasurer and
| Snprem Judge.
MIR. PattsOn began performing the duties Of
Controller OH January !, 1878. The ability and
ate iobbers at the end Of his first term are well
known to everybody, and the following figures
of the election of November, 1880. show how
they were rewarded at time when the COM
mittee of one hundred was only budding and
corld not give him anything like the support
which, three months later elected King and
GERS, except Coroner, in comparison with the
Presidential vote:
Garfield, R 81. .2S9-Nlaj., 20 .SS3
"i-0A1- I Hancock D., ...76,356
DISTRICT Graha nj R,..~.96, ,g74-NTat., 2O,566
ATTORNEY Hager [, D.,...... &c, ,4O8
Con- JJeffri es, R.,......79,S68
TRoLLER PATHS on, D.,.....93, 46l-NTaj, 1858
c,rnro c Littleton, R.,.....97 ,587-Maj, q ,776
OLENh| |'0' Freeman, D.,...74,Sl1
| Mr. Pattison lives in modest style at 3l47
| SanSOm street. During the summer he has his
family in an Atlantic City cottage. He comes
I'D from the SeaSh0re every morning and re-
| turns in the evening after his days work In the
City Hall. He was at his desk all day yester-
day, as usual, and returned to Atlantic CITY be-
fore the wires brought the news that he had
been nominated. In person he is tall, broad
shouldered and Wiry, straight as an Indian,
darkfeatured , keen OF eye, determined III look
ical appearance to win favor on the stump at
! first sight.