E Palmer Patterson II is a writer and former faculty member at the University of Waterloo and St. Jerome's University.

Patterson was born in 1927 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His history PhD thesis focused on the life and career of Andrew (Andy) Paull. He briefly taught in the United States before moving to Canada in 1962 to accept a faculty position at St. Jerome's University. He taught there until 1964, at which time he transferred to the University of Waterloo where he taught courses in the Department of History.

Patterson's 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 about Indigenous peoples in Canada 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 married his wife Nancy-Lou in Seattle, Washington on June 10, 1951. Together they raised eight children.