Robert M. Patterson

Robert Maskell Patterson (March 23, 1787 – September 5, 1854) was an American professor of mathematics, chemistry and natural philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania from 1812 to 1828 and professor of natural philosophy at the University of Virginia from 1828 to 1835. He served as the 6th director of the United States Mint from 1835 to 1851 and as president of the American Philosophical Society from 1809 to 1854.

Early life and education Patterson was born on March 23, 1787, in Philadelphia, one of eight children of Robert Patterson and Amy Hunter Ewing. Patterson attended the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 1804 with a B.A.. He studied medicine under Benjamin Smith Barton and graduated with a M.D. in 1808. He continued his education in Paris, France at the Jardins des plantes, and studied with René Just Haüy, Louis Nicolas Vauquelin, Adrien-Marie Legendre and Siméon Denis Poisson. He was elected an Associate Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1834. Patterson was nominated as director of the U.S. Mint by President Andrew Jackson and served from 1835 to 1851. In 1807, Patterson and his father were consulted by Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler for guidance on the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. In 1826, Patterson was Consulted by the governor of Pennsylvania to determine the best source of water for a state canal. He was married to Helen Hamilton Leiper, daughter of Thomas Leiper, on April 20, 1814, and together they had six children.

American Philosophical Society Patterson was the youngest person elected to the American Philosophical Society at the age of 22 in 1809. He served as secretary in 1813, as vice-president in 1825, and as president in 1849.