Women's Forum Oral History Collection Interview Index

Jane Smith Patterson was born August 1940 in Lillington, North Carolina. Her father was a Freemason and her mother worked as a school teacher. She attended UNC Greensboro for two years and finished her degree in political science at UNC Chapel Hill. Patterson worked in the information and communication services field for most of her career, working with ITT, the former parent company of AT&T, all over the world. She became involved in the ERA ratification movement when she started working for Governor Jim Hunt as an administrative officer. While working in state government, Patterson contributed to the movement by setting up press conferences around the state, making speeches, and participating in debates against anti-ERA activists. She also worked to elect politicians who supported the ERA into office. Along with five other women, she established a group called the Women Executives in State Government. Patterson was also a member of Business and Professional Women, League of Women Voters, and the North Carolina Political Caucus, the latter of which she was a founding member of and served as its vice president.