Charles Christopher Patton was born January 6, 1916, in Springfield, Illinois, to Dr. Charles Lanphier Patton (1880-1962) and Alice Agee Jess Patton (1882-1968). He had three brothers, Dr. Robert Jess Patton, James William Patton II, and John Agee Patton. Charles was a graduate of Springfield High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1946, where he was involved in convoy duty and anti-submarine warfare. He retired from Sangamo Electric Co. as an electrical engineer and passed away February 15, 2008.
The collection includes letters written between Charles C. Patton and his parents, Charles L. and Alice Patton, greeting cards, an Oak Ridge Cemetery Deed, tax returns, stocks and bonds, and a postcard. It also includes documents, magazines, booklets, photos, film negatives, a name tag, a USNR Navy Pin, drawings, and notes relating to Charles C. Patton’s time serving in the Navy between 1942 to 1946.