Report of the Joint Investigating Committee on Public Frauds and Election of Hon. John J. Patterson to the United States Senate

Columbia, S. C.: Calvo & Patton, State Printers, 1878. First Edition. Wraps. Fair. Stitched yellow wraps with title printed on outer front wrap. 68 pages. Damp stains and edge chips to the covers. Title page is damp stained. Interior contents clean otherwise.

John J. Patterson (1830-1912) was a businessman and was elected as a Republican in South Carolina to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1873. Many in South Carolina viewed Patterson as a "Carpet Bagger." After reconstruction ended in South Carolina, Patterson had no chance of being reelected when his term ended in 1879 as the Democrats took control of South Carolina politics. From the South Carolina Encyclopedia: In 1872 Patterson was a candidate for the U.S. Senate from South Carolina. It was alleged that his only qualification was money with which to bribe legislators. On the day of the election, the Republican Columbia Daily Union warned that “the people will regard his election as a direct bargain and sale.” He won the election but was immediately arrested for bribery based on the statements of two legislators who claimed that they had been paid to vote for him. He was never tried, although newspaper reports accused him of using as much as $50,000 to secure his election. From that time forward, Patterson carried the nickname “Honest John”—honest because if he promised a bribe, he always paid it. While many of the allegations against Patterson are questionable, some legislators who voted for him later complained that they had not received promised bribes, with one quoting Patterson as saying that “the damned election had cost him more than it was worth.”.