L. Brooks Patterson

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Patterson graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in 1957. He served in the United States Army from 1962 to 1964. In 2005, he was Alumnus of the Year at his alma mater. ==Career==

Following Patterson's graduation from the University of Detroit, Patterson relocated to Oakland County. Eventually, he opened a law practice in Pontiac, where he took segregationist advocate Irene McCabe as a client. During his time representing Irene McCabe, he became a vocal and polarizing advocate against integration in Pontiac schools. Following 16 years as the prosecutor of Oakland County, he was elected in 1992 to the office of county executive. He was re-elected to a sixth term in 2012. During his years as county executive, Patterson faced serious health problems, twice undergoing surgery to place stents to control blood flow and, in August 2012, being severely injured as the passenger in a car crash when his Cadillac was T-boned by a Volkswagen test car. The incident left him hospitalized for a month and then placed in a medical facility for physical rehabilitation. Patterson often used a wheelchair due to the injuries he suffered in the accident. In March 2019 Patterson revealed he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and would not seek re-election the following year. ==Personal life==

Patterson and his wife divorced in 2002. In 2007, Patterson lost his son, Brooks Stuart Patterson, in a snowmobile accident and, later that year, lost his twin brother Stephen Patterson. Patterson died on August 3, 2019. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier in the year. In July 2023, Patterson's daughter, Mary Margaret Patterson, announced she was weighing a run for Oakland County Executive, but later dropped out. ==See also==