All 3 Uses of

patron
in
Arrowsmith

He besieged McGurk and the wealthy Mr. Minnigen who was Tubbs's new patron, and in and out of season he besieged Gottlieb.†
Chpt 30 *

His masterpieces Sondelius acclaimed, he alone placid among the scary patrons who came in now not to dream but to gulp and flee.†
Chpt 33

That leaves—two and six and two make ten, if I'm any authority on higher math—that leaves fourteen hours a day for research (except when you got something special on), with no Director and no Society patrons and no Trustees that you've got to satisfy by making fool reports.†
Chpt 37

Definitions:

(1) (patron as in: a patron of the arts)
a regular customer; or someone who gives money or support to an organization, cause, or person
(2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)
meaning too rare to warrant focus:

In ancient Roman history, patron referred to the more powerful person in a complex client-patron relationship. The term is still used in some cultures today to describe a property owner who is in charge of workers.

Also see patron saint.

Much more rarely, a patron is the proprietor of an inn.