Ohio Black History: Frederick Douglass Patterson Automobiles

An entrepreneurial black man designed, built, and repaired cars for over half a century.Frederick Douglass Patterson was born September 17th, 1871, in Greenfield, Ohio, the fourth of five children. His father Charles Richard and business partner J.P Lowe established a carriage manufacturing business in 1873.He graduated from Greenfield High School in 1888. As an outstanding athlete he was recruited to play football for Ohio State University. He was the first black football player in the University’s history.After college he worked as a teacher in Louisville, Kentucky for two years. However, he moved back home to support the family business.Patterson assumed leadership after his father passed in 1910. As a visionary he shifted the company’s focus away from carriages into automobiles. In 1915 he started development of the first Patterson-Greenfield as a Horseless carriage.The custom-made Patterson-Greenfield automobile had a four-cylinder engine and reached top speed of 50 miles per hour. Special features included: full floating rear axle, electric starting and lighting system, demountable rims, and a ventilating windshield.About 150 cars were produced. The two-door roadster and four-door touring car. Patterson’s Auto Service provided repair and maintenance for the vehicles.Due to competition from other car manufacturers. The company rebranded to Greenfield Bus...