DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it — the story of Congressman Nat Patton, right out of Houston County, Texas. Now settle in, because this man was one of a kind. Born February 26, 1881, and from the very start a native son of this county.
Nat Patton had a custom — and I do mean a custom, practiced faithfully on friends and strangers alike — of calling everybody he met 'cousin.' Every single soul. Didn't matter if he'd known you forty years or forty seconds. Cousin.
You have to admire a man who decided the whole world was family and just never let go of that notion. He taught school for a number of years, building something in himself, and then he opened a law office in Crockett. From there, Nat Patton climbed every rung of public life this county and state had to offer.
County judge. State representative. State senator.
One after another, like a man who knew exactly where he was headed and was in no particular hurry to skip a step. And where he was headed, it turned out, was Washington, D.C. He won election to the United States Congress from the 7th district, and what followed was what the marker calls, without a hint of exaggeration, a colorful congressional career — spanning a full decade, 1935 to 1945.
Ten years in Congress. You wonder how many people he called cousin on the floor of the House. Probably every last one of them.
Away from the chamber, Patton was a longtime Mason, a husband to Mattie Taylor, and a father of four children. He lived until July 27, 1957. Nat Patton — county judge, state rep, state senator, congressman, teacher, Mason, and cousin to just about everyone who ever crossed his path.
Houston County made him, and he never forgot it.
What the marker says
(Feb. 26, 1881 -- July 27, 1957) Native of Houston County, Nat Patton was known for his custom of addressing both friends and strangers as "cousin". After teaching school for a number of years, he opened a law office in Crockett. He served as county judge, state representative, and state senator before winning election to the U.S. Congress from the 7th district. His colorful congressional career spanned a decade, 1935-1945. A longtime mason, Patton married Mattie Taylor and had four children.