Joseph Edward Paterson
49
Constitution Party
Virginia
Biography: Joseph Edward Paterson was born in the city of Hampton, near the important naval base of Norfolk. From an early age he was instilled with strong conservative and Catholic values. The youngest of three children (with an elder brother and sister), Paterson had, by all means, a very normal middle-class life. He attended the University of Virginia, graduating in 1990 with a BA in History (a concentration in East Asian History) and a minor in English. After graduation, he became heavily involved in local Party politics, before attending New York University and achieving his Masters (in History) in 1993. After stepping down as Chairman of the Hampton Republicans, he ran in the mayoral election of his hometown, being the first Republican to do so since the mid-1980s. His tenure as Mayor saw a decrease in city spending and an increase in immigration to the city. Deciding against running for re-election, he instead ran for the Virginia Senate, which he won in a narrow election.
He only served two years, however, as the Virginia Republicans -- desperate to run a young and dedicated Republican against the Democrat Mark Warner -- pushed and convinced him to run for the office of Governor. He won by several thousand votes, though his preferred Lieutenant Governor, Mark Earley, was beaten handily by Tim Kaine (later the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee in 2016). Paterson's tenure in the gubernatorial office witnessed (and supported) a rising hatred of taxes, and he led initiatives to reform the state tax code, which he effectively did. Restricted by the Virginia Constitution from running for a second term, he refused to rest on his laurels. Espousing a more socially conservative platform than he ever had before, he very narrowly won election to the House of Representatives, representing parts of Hampton and Norfolk. His ability to draw heavily on black votes in this time drew sharp contrasts with many other Republicans of the time. In the House, he was one of the few Republicans critical of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, though also drew a very strong line on the topics of terrorism, immigration, and controversies over Islam. He was re-elected in 2008 a bit more handily, though his District ended up siding with Barack Obama in the presidential election. By 2009 -- just before the emergence of the Tea Party movement -- he began to show several severe breaks with the Republican Party, and formally registered as an Independent that year. He chose not to run for re-election in 2010.
In the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election Paterson joined the Constitution Party and strongly supported the party's candidate Virgil Goode, who was also a native of Virginia. He remained one of the key members of the Party after the re-election of President Obama, and in December 2016, following the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, Paterson was almost unanimously elected Vice Chairman of the Constitution Party in a snap meeting of the Party Convention. Since then, he has served as the voice of the Party in local and national politics, and some have even considered him the "virtual voice" of the party.
Personal information: Paterson is the husband of Allison Marie Paterson (nee Kelly), born on 18 July 1971 in Houtzdale, Pennsylvania; they met while studying together at the University of Virginia. They are the parents of two boys, Charles Patrick (b. 4 March 1995) and Michael James (b. 22 August 1998). Paterson's elder brother, Oswald, is a Republican Representative of New York's 2nd Congressional District (elected to replace Peter King, who decided not to run for re-election), and his sister Rose is one of the chief executives at the largest electronics manufacturing plant in Virginia. Paterson is a devout Catholic. He is well known for his campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking, and is an ardent enemy of over-consumption of alcohol, primarily due to the death of one friend at college while drunk driving, and another friend's participation in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Positions:
Chairman of the Republican Party of Hampton, VA (1992 -- 1995)
Mayor of Hampton, VA (1995 -- 1999)
Member of the Virginia State Senate (1999 -- 2001)
Governor of Virginia (2001 -- 2005)
Representative for Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the House of Representatives (2006 -- 2010)
Vice Chairman of the Constitution Party (2016 -- ????)
