E Palmer Patterson II was a writer and faculty member at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome's University know for research regarding Indigenous peoples in Canada.

Born in August 18, 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana to Jess Margaret (née Wood) and Edward Palmer Patterson, he attended Mississippi College in Clinton before transferring to Baylor University. His studies interrupted when he was drafted into the army, Patterson returned to Baylor, after being discharged, where he completed completed a B.A. in history in 1948. After a short time at the University of Colorado studying anthropology, he landed at the University of Washington in 1949, where he met his future wife Nancy-Lou Gellermann. Following their marriage on June 10, 1951, the couple moved to Kansas, where Patterson obtained an M.A. in history at the University of Kansas. He continued his graduate studies at the University of Washington, completing a PhD in history in 1962. His thesis focused on the life and career of Squamish activist and lawyer Andrew (Andy) Paull.

Patterson joined the faculty at St. Jerome's College in 1962, transferring to the Department of History at the University of Waterloo in 1964. His research and the courses he taught focused on the history of Indigenous peoples in Canada and the American south during the post civil war period. He wrote a number of publications for academic journals as well as textbooks for elementary and secondary school children in Ontario and British Columbia. One of his most notable works remains, "The Canadian Indian: a history since 1500," published between 1971-1972.

Patterson died in Waterloo due to complications from COVID-19 on May 17, 2023. Predeceased by Nancy-Lou, with home he raised nine children, he was buried alongside her at the "Campus of the Pattersonian Institute" in Mount Hope Cemetery.