Capt. Camm Patteson (d. 1909)

 James River, Photo by Joanne Yeck

On April 20, 1909, Richmond’s The Times-Dispatch announced the death of Camm Patteson, one of Buckingham County’s best-known citizens.

DEATH COMES TO

CAPTAIN PATTESON

Widely-Known Lawyer, Soldier, Legislator and Writer Passes Away

BUCKINGHAM, VA. April 19 – Captain Camm Patteson died at his home, “Sunny Side,” Saturday at 11 o’clock. Captain Patteson was a prominent citizen of Buckingham and had represented this district in the State Senate and also had been a member of the House of Delegates. He was a well-known lawyer and was a brother of S.S.P. Patteson, of Richmond.

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Camm Patteson, lawyer, soldier, legislator and writer, was a native of Amherst county, and was about sixty-five years of age. His father was a Whig leader of considerable prominence in his time, and his mother a Miss Camm, both having come of fine old Virginia stock. Captain Patteson was next to the oldest of twelve children, of whom his brother, Hon. S.S.P. Patteson, of this city, was next to the youngest. The latter is now the only survivor. The elder Patteson received his early education in the private schools of Amherst and at Lynchburg College. He graduated in law at the University of Virginia and removed to Buckingham county, where he resided up to the time of his death, being employed in farming and the practice of law and in literary work.

When the war came on he organized the Buckingham Rangers and led them gallantly to the end of the struggle, having been several times severely wounded.

Captain Patteson had been a prominent figure in the public eye, especially in the Tenth Congressional District, for the past twenty-five years, and until overtaken with ill health recently, there had been but few campaigns in which he did not play a conspicuous part for his party. He was a man of vigorous intellect and absolute courage on public questions, and never left any doubt as to where he stood.

The obituary concluded by describing Patteson’s unsuccessful run for Congress in the 1880’s.

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