(AP) -- Grady Patterson Jr., South Carolina's longtime former state treasurer, has died. He was 85.
His longtime spokesman Trav Robertson said the retired Air Force general and treasurer of 37 years died Monday.
Patterson was a World War II Army fighter pilot from Calhoun Falls who flew combat missions from Iwo Jima and in the Air Force during the Korean War. He worked in a mill store and earned a law degree.
Patterson first won the office in 1966. He lost a 1994 re-election bid but won back the seat in 1998.
Patterson was the lone Democratic incumbent in statewide office seeking re-election in 2006, making him a GOP target. He lost to Republican Thomas Ravenel.
Patterson is survived by his wife Marjorie, and six children.
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