Paul M. Patrick, Atlantic Beach’s first Town Marshal, was born on November 8, 1887, in Savannah, Georgia, enlisted in the U.S. Army at age 21 and served for three years, then worked for the Chatham County Police Department and later as a Savannah police detective. In 1920, he moved with his wife and four children to Jacksonville and worked in the grocery business. In January 1932, after the Town of Atlantic Beach was newly established, it appointed him Town Marshal, and he also served as Town Marshal for Neptune Beach and Manhattan Beach, including duty on the night watch. On the night of September 10, 1932, the original Atlantic Beach Town Hall near this location caught fire, Patrick became trapped inside, suffered severe burns, and died two days later from those injuries. The fire destroyed the town hall and all city records, the building was not reconstructed, the town offices were relocated, and records made after his death are clear that he died during the performance of his duties. In 2023, his name was added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington D.C.