L Brooks Patterson

Education

Patterson graduated from the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy in 1957. He received a Bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit, and his Juris Doctor in 1967 from its law school. In 2005, he was Alumnus of the Year at his alma mater.

Career

L. Brooks Patterson opposed the desegregation busing plan related to Detroit Public Schools up to the U.S. Supreme Court, which decided Milliken v. Bradley.

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.

Patterson faced criticism after comments he made about the city of Detroit, widely seen as "controversial" and "negative", were released in an article entitled “Drop Dead, Detroit!”. Patterson was quoted as saying, among other things, "What we’re going to do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn". In 2016, Patterson is leading a legal challenge to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Oakland County.

During his years as County Executive, Patterson has 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 that left him hospitalized for a month and then placed in a medical facility for physical rehabilitation. While in care in October 2012, Patterson dismissed claims that his injuries left him unfit to serve if reelected. Patterson sometimes uses a wheelchair due to the injuries he suffered in the accident.

Personal life

In 2007, Patterson lost his son, Brooks Stuart Patterson, in a snowmobile accident and, later that year, lost his twin brother Stephen Patterson. In 2008, he established the Brooksie Way Half Marathon in memory of his son. The event is sponsored by local businesses and draws participants from the Oakland University campus and area residents.