Robert Patterson

Robert Patterson (January 12, 1792 – August 7, 1881) was an Irish-born American military officer who served in the United States Army during the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. He was the commander of the Pennsylvania Militia during the Philadelphia nativist riots, and was politically active in Pennsylvania as a Jacksonian Democrat. He was a wealthy businessman and owned 30 cotton mills in Pennsylvania, a sugar plantation in Louisiana and other investments in railroads and steamships. In the Mexican-American War, Patterson was a major general and served as second in command to Winfield Scott. He fought at the Siege of Veracruz and the Battle of Cerro Gordo.