Early Life and Career
Waller T. Patton was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia, into a well-known family. He was named for the Governor of Virginia, Littleton Waller Tazewell. His father, John Mercer Patton, a member of the Council of State, served as Acting Governor in March 1841. An ancestor, Hugh Mercer, served as a general during the American Revolution. His brother was Confederate colonel George S. Patton, Sr.
Patton graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1855, placing 2nd in a class of 16. While still a student, he became a member of the faculty, serving as acting assistant professor of Latin from 1852 until 1854. Patton also served as lieutenant in the cadet corps and for a time, as assistant professor of languages and assistant. Following his graduation, Patton was hired as an instructor of tactics, and as assistant professor of mathematics and assistant instructor of tactics. He studied law and passed the bar exam, then established a profitable law practice in Culpeper, Virginia. He commanded a local militia unit, the Culpeper Minutemen.
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