C.R. Patterson and Sons
| Formerly | J. P. Lowe & Company; C.R. Patterson, Son & Company; C.R. Patterson and Sons Carriage Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Automotive manufacturing company |
| Founded | 1893 |
| Founder | Frederick Patterson |
| Defunct | 1939 |
| Successor | Greenfield Bus Body Company; Gallia Body Company |
| Headquarters | Greenfield, Ohio, US |
Key people |
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| Products | Patterson-Greenfield automobile |
C.R. Patterson and Sons was an American automotive company headquartered in Greenfield, Ohio and for one year in Gallia, Ohio; founded by Frederick Douglas Patterson and named after his father Charles "Rich" Richard Patterson.
The Pattersons were the first African Americans to manufacture automobiles, their company manufacturing and marketing the Patterson-Greenfield automobile for model years 1914-17 with overall production reaching 150 — none known to have survived.
As the only known black-owned automakers, founded by a former slave, operating during a period of cultural oppression, successful for three generations, Charles Richard Patterson and Frederick Patterson were inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2021.