Judge Robert L. "Beau" Patterson Papers
Scope and Contents
One OVBox with Judge Patterson's personal belongings (robes, gavel, nameplate). Includes correspondence, awards, event programs and articles.
Dates
- 1986-2008
Creator
- Patterson, Robert L., Judge 1945- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Copyright
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.
Biographical / Historical
After earning his law degree in 1974 from the University of Colorado College Of Law, Judge Patterson worked as a staff attorney for the Legal Aid Society. He later served as a Colorado United States Public Defender and as an Assistant Colorado Attorney General. Denver Mayor Federico Pena appointed Patters as a judge for the Denver County Court in 1985. In 1998, Mayor Wellington E. Webb appointed him as the first African American presiding judge. In this role, he was challenged to improve his oratorical skills. He joined Toastmasters and was honored as Toastmaster of the Year, 2002-2003, by the Downtown Speakeasy Toastmaster Club.
Under Patterson's direction, the Central Denver Community Court was established in Five Points for traffic infraction final hearings. Small claims trails, and juvenile curfew cases. he also established four additional satellite courts in other quadrants of the city.
Being raised in Five Points, Patterson said he wants to be remembered as "the home grown kid that didn't turn his back." Judge Patterson retired from the bench in December 2004.
-Source "Judge Robert L. "Beau" Patterson: Five Points to High Points," Linda Y. Brown, Denver Urban Spectrum
Extent
1 oversize box(es)
Language of Materials
English
Custodial History
Collection includes former ARLM4, Robert (Beau) Patterson Papers.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift, Judge Robert L. Patterson, 2008. Gift, Unknown donor, no date.
- African American judges -- Colorado -- Denver. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- African American lawyers -- Colorado -- Denver. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Denver County Court (Denver, Colo.)
- Ephemera (general object genre) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Letters (Correspondence) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Patterson, Robert L., Judge 1945- -- Archives
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Denver Public Library, Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library Repository
2401 Welton St.
Denver Colorado 80205
