The New York herald., 1922-05-08
John H. Patterson,
Cash Register Head,
Dies on Train Trip
Overcome Near Atlantic City,
Had Retired a Year Ago at
Age Of 76.

Special Dispatch to THE NEW YoRK HERALD
ATLANTIC CITY, May John II. Pat
terson of Dayton, Ohio. chairman of the
board OF founders of the National Cash
Register Company, died of heart disease
shortly before 3 o'clock this afternoon
while on a Pennsylvania Railroad train
on the way to this city for two weeks
stay to improve his health. The train
was at Kirkwood. short distance from
Atlantic City, and Mr.. Patterson was
talking to his valet, William Roberts,
when he became unconscious
Roberts notified the conductor and
the conductor went through the coaches
and Pullmans searching for a physician.
He found DIR. It. T. Trudeau of Saranac
Lake, n. Y. and the physician worked
over Mr.. Patterson, but without success.
AS soon as the train reached here the
body was sent TO an undertaking estab-
lishment and Mr.. Pattersons family In
Dayton was notified.
John Henry Patterson. who started
life as a farmland and established the
biggest business of its kind in the
world on land that he had plowed
as a boy, resigned as president of the
National Cash Register Company on
July 16. 1921. His son succeeded him
and he himself was elected chairman of
the board of directors. At the time of
his retirement he was II years old.
He was born on a farm near Dayton
December 13, 1874. the son of jefferson
and Julia Johnston Patterson and the
grandson of Robertson Patterson, who
founded the city of Lexington, Ky. Be-
fore enbarking in the cash register
business he had done farm work. canal
toll collecting. retailing of coal, mine
AyNa tt,,or Nd haI 90 Ii fo
fortune as a ranch and orchard owner.
He was educated in the public schools
of Dayton, at Miami University and at
Dartmouth College, where he was grad
uated in 1857. In the meantime, during
the summer of 1864. he served as pri-
vate in the 131st Ohio Volunteers, un-
der the 100 day enlistment plan. His
early business ventures were fairly suc-
cessful. but his great success came after
he had returned from the West and set
up at Dayton a factory for making cash
registers. employing at first thirteen
men. The business now furnishes en-
ployment to more than 1000 in Dayton
alone. The factory consists of series
OF seventeen buildings, with total floor
space of thirty-eight acres, and a
monthly output of 10000 complete ma
chimes. There are branch factories in
Canada and Germany.
Much of Mr.. Patterson's fame Is due
to his work in Transforming slum condi-
tions In Dayton and to his humanitarian
efforts to better the conditions of his
employees. For this work France made
him Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
in 1901, and in 1919 Miami University
gave him the degree of doctor of laws
for his welfare work and advanced busi-
ness methods.
In the Dayton flood of 1912 Mr.. Pat
terson spent great sums of money and
turned the resources of his business over
to rescue and welfare work. He was
awarded a gold medal by President Will
son as president of the American Red
Cross His civic work in Dayton re-
suited in placing the city under COM
mission form Of government and his own
appointment as chairman of the COM
mission. Under his supervision $2,00O.-
900 was raised to prevent future floods.
An indictment was returned against
him in 1912 for alleged violation of the
Sherman antitrust law, followed by
conviction and sentence to one year in
Jail and fines. The case was appealed,