Name William Patterson Role Businessman | ||
 | ||
Died July 7, 1835, Balti, Maryland, United States Children Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte Great grandchildren Charles Bonaparte, Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte II Organizations founded Balti and Ohio Railroad Similar People Elizabeth Patterson Bonaparte, Jerome Bonaparte, Mathilde Bonaparte, Prince Napoleon Bonaparte, John W Garrett | ||
Grandchildren Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte | ||
William Patterson (November 1, 1752, in Fanand, County Donegal, Ireland – July 7, 1835, in Baltimore, Maryland) was a businessman, a gun-runner during the American Revolution, and a founder of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. His many business dealings included shipping, banking, and the Baltimore Water Company. He was reputed to be the second-wealthiest man in Maryland, after Charles Carroll of Carrollton.
He married Dorcas Spear (1761–1814). His daughter Elizabeth Patterson (1785–1879) married Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. His son Robert Patterson (1781–1822) married Marianne Caton maternal granddaughter of Carroll, after Robert's death she married Richard Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, brother of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.
In 1827, he donated the first five acres of land that became Baltimore's Patterson Park. The park, its namesake street (Patterson Park Avenue) and a high school to the east of it are named in his honor.