Patty Ritchie

Who is Patty Ritchie?

Patricia A. "Patty" Ritchie is a Republican member of the New York State Senate, representing the 48th district.

Ritchie is a lifelong resident of Upstate New York. The daughter of daughter of Rita A. and Kenneth H. Hilborne, she was born and raised in DePeyster, New York. At 15, she moved with her parents and brother to town of Oswegatchie, New York. She graduated from Heuvelton Central High School in 1980.

She received an associates degree in social work from Mater Dei College of Ogdensburg, New York in 1985. She briefly attended SUNY Plattsburgh, then transferred to SUNY Potsdam. She was married in 1982 and continued her education part-time while raising her family and working. Ritchie earned her bachelor's degree in psychology in 1991.

Ritchie worked for the Department of Motor Vehicles from 1986 to 1999. She was then elected as the St. Lawrence County Clerk, a position she held from 2000 through 2010. In 2002, she was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for New York State Assembly District 118, losing to Democrat Darrel Aubertine. In November 2010 she defeated Aubertine, this time for his seat in the State Senate. She was handily reelected in 2012.