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Paul E. Patton
59th Governor of Kentucky
In office 1995 – 2003
Preceded by	Brereton Jones
Succeeded by	Ernie Fletcher
Born	May 26, 1937 (age 69) Fallsburg, Kentucky
Political party	Democratic
Profession	Executive
Religion	Presbyterian

Paul E. Patton (born May 26, 1937) served as Democratic governor of Kentucky from 1995 to 2003. He was succeeded by Ernie Fletcher. He is a Presbyterian, and lives in Pikeville, Kentucky.

Patton was born in Fallsburg, Kentucky. In 1959, he received his B.S. in mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky, and was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity there. He entered into politics after 20 years in the coal mining business. He started his political career as deputy secretary of transportation.

Patton was elected county judge-executive of Pike County, Kentucky and served in that office from 1981 to 1991.

In 1987 he ran for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and won 130,713 votes in the Democratic primary, placing him third ahead of state senator David Boswell and Superintendent of Public Instruction Alice McDonald but behind Attorney General David L. Armstrong (147,718) and the 189,058 votes won by Brereton Jones, who won the primary and the general election.

Patton sought the office of lieutenant governor again in 1991. In a crowded seven candidate field in the Democratic primary, the front runner seemed to be Attorney General Fred Cowan of Louisville. Just days before the primary it was reported that Cowan's campaign had sent a fundraising letter to a firm that his office was investigating for criminal conduct regarding state contracts. Patton surged past Cowan with 146,102 votes to Cowan's 104,337. (Other candidates included Steve Collins, son of former governor Martha Layne Collins, and former Speaker of the Kentucky House of Representatives Bobby H. Richardson.) Patton went on to a lopsided victory in the general election, winning 514,023 votes to 250,857 for Republican Eugene Goss.

Upon his election as lieutenant governor, Patton resigned his office as Pike County judge-executive. He was an active lieutenant governor. Governor Brereton Jones appointed Patton as secretary of economic development, making Patton the first lieutenant governor to serve as an appointed cabinet secretary.

Patton ran for governor himself in 1995. It was the first year in which candidates for governor slated with running mates for lieutenant governor; Patton chose Steve Henry, a surgeon and county commissioner from Louisville, as his running mate. Patton won the Democratic primary with 152,203 votes to 81,352 for secretary of state Bob Babbage and 71,740 for John A. "Eck" Rose, the President Pro Tempore of the Kentucky Senate. Patton entered the fall campaign as a perceived underdog. The year before, Republicans had taken over both houses of Congress, including a majority of Kentucky's congressional delegation, for the first time in decades. Patton's campaign seemed an uphill battle but Patton won, using some themes similar to those used by President Bill Clinton in his successful re-election campaign the following year. Patton won 500,605 votes (50.9%) to 479,227 (48.7%) for the Republican nominee, Larry Forgy.

Patton's achievements during his first term as governor included major overhaul of the state's workers compensation laws and significant changes to higher education governance and funding.

During his term Kentucky carried out first execution since early 1960s, when Harold McQueen, Jr. was electrocuted on July 1, 1997. During Patton's tenure one more and, to date, Kentucky's last execution took place. He was also presided over introduction lethal injection as primary method of executions. He supported the death penalty, but commuted one death sentence.

Due to a constitutional amendment enacted under Jones, Patton became the first governor in over 100 years who could succeed himself. Patton was re-elected to a second term in 1999 over a weak Republican nominee, Peppy Martin, and two other candidates. Patton won a second term as governor with 352,099 votes, 60.6% of the total in a very low turnout.

In 1997, he began an affair with Tina Conner, the operator of a nursing home in Clinton, a small town in Kentucky's far-western Purchase region. The relationship ended in 1999, but he continued to call her until she completely broke off the affair in October 2001. Two months after she broke off the affair, her nursing home was cited by state regulators for numerous violations of health and safety rules. By July 2002, the state had pulled all Medicare and Medicaid payments from the facility, which soon went bankrupt. [1] The affair became public after Conner filed a suit against Patton, alleging that he had directed state regulators to shut down her business as retaliation for her ending their affair. However, when questioned under oath about the matter, Conner denied her prior allegations that Patton had intervened on her behalf. [2] Patton had considered running against to Republican U. S. Senator Jim Bunning in 2004, but the scandal derailed those plans. Patton retired to Pikeville after the election of his successor Ernie Fletcher.

• Members of Patton Administration

Preceded by Brereton C. Jones	Governor of Kentucky 1995–2003	Succeeded by Ernie Fletcher
Preceded by Brereton C. Jones	Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1991–1995	Succeeded by Steve Henry
Preceded by Brereton C. Jones	Democratic nominee for Governor of Kentucky 1995–2003	Succeeded by Ben Chandler
Preceded by Brereton C. Jones	Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky 1991–1995	Succeeded by Steve Henry

Governors of Kentucky

Shelby • Garrard • Greenup • Scott • Shelby • Madison • Slaughter • Adair • Desha • Metcalfe • J. Breathitt • J. Morehead • Clark • Wickliffe • Letcher • Owsley • Crittenden • Helm • Powell • C. Morehead • Magoffin • Robinson • Bramlette • Helm • Stevenson • Leslie • McCreary • Blackburn • Knott • Buckner • Brown • Bradley • Taylor • Goebel • Beckham • Willson • McCreary • Stanley • Black • Morrow • Fields • Sampson • Laffoon • Chandler • Johnson • Willis • Clements • Wetherby • Chandler • Combs • E. Breathitt • Nunn • Ford • Carroll • Brown Jr. • Collins • Wilkinson • Jones • Patton • Fletcher Kentucky also had two Confederate Governors: George W. Johnson and Richard Hawes.

Lieutenant Governors of Kentucky

Bullitt • Caldwell • Slaughter • Hickman • Slaughter • Barry • McAfee • Breathitt • J. Morehead • Wickliffe • M. Thomson • Dixon • Helm • J. Thompson • Hardy • Boyd • Jacob • Stevenson • Carlisle • Underwood • Cantrill • Hindman • Bryan • Alford • Worthington • Marshall • Beckham • Thorne • Cox • McDermott • Black • Ballard • Breathitt, Jr. • Chandler • Johnson • Myers • Tuggle • Wetherby • Beauchamp • Waterfield • Wyatt • Waterfield • Ford • Carroll • Stovall • Collins • Beshear • Jones • Patton • Henry • Pence

Persondata
NAME	Patton, Paul E.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Kentucky politician
DATE OF BIRTH	May 26, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH	Fallsburg, Kentucky
DATE OF DEATH	living
PLACE OF DEATH