Patterson, Liz, 1939-2018

Elizabeth Johnston Patterson (November 18, 1939 – November 10, 2018) was an American politician from South Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a three-term member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 1993.

Born Gladys Elizabeth Johnston, she was the daughter of Olin D. Johnston, Governor and Senator from South Carolina. Raised in Kensington, Maryland, she graduated from Spartanburg High School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1957. In 1961 she received her bachelor’s degree at Columbia College in Columbia, South Carolina. She subsequently studied political science at the University of South Carolina. Early in her career, Johnston worked in Washington, D.C. for the Peace Corps and the Office of Economic Opportunity during the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Patterson also worked as the South Carolina director of the Head Start Program and as an assistant to Congressman James R. Mann. In 1967, she married Dwight Patterson. She returned to live in Spartanburg County, where she was elected to the County Council, serving from 1975 to 1976. In 1978 she was elected to the South Carolina State Senate, serving from 1979 to 1986.

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