Harry Hayt Pratt (November 11, 1864 – November 13, 1932) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Born in

Corning, New York Corning is a city in Steuben County, New York, United States, on the Chemung River. The population was 10,551 at the 2020 census. It is named for Erastus Corning, an Albany financier and railroad executive who was an investor in the company t ...

, Pratt attended Corning Union School and graduated from

Corning Free Academy Howard Greenley (1874–1963) was an architect who worked from the late 1800s well into the 20th century and known mainly for his work in New York City, Long Island, and Newport, Rhode Island. Greenley was a prominent figure in the architectural ...

in 1882. His family owned the '' Corning Weekly Journal'', and Pratt served as associate editor from 1882 to 1891. When the paper shifted to seven day a week publication, Pratt was associate editor of the ''Corning Daily Journal'' from 1891 to 1906, and editor of the ''Daily Journal'' and manager of the Corning Journal Publishing Company from 1906 to 1919. In 1892 he married Clarissa Chapman Spencer. They were the parents of six children: Sophie and George (twins); Hugh; Harriet; Ransom; and Helen. Pratt was active in the

Masons Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutt ...

and the Elks. A Republican, he served in local offices including member of the board of health, and he attended numerous local, county, and state party conventions. He served as one of Corning's members of the Steuben County Board of Supervisors in 1898 and 1899. Pratt was assistant postmaster of Corning while his father served as postmaster; the younger Pratt was appointed

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

on September 8, 1905 and served until January 27, 1914. He was a delegate to the Republican state conventions in 1908 and 1910. He was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-fourth and Sixty-fifth Congresses (March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1919). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1918. After leaving Congress, Pratt engaged in publicity work for the United States Department of Labor and the War Risk Insurance Bureau from 1919 to 1921. He was a public relations counselor for the

Erie Railroad The Erie Railroad was a railroad that operated in the northeastern United States, originally connecting New York City — more specifically Jersey City, New Jersey, where Erie's Pavonia Terminal, long demolished, used to stand — with Lake Erie ...

Company from 1923 to 1928, and managing editor of the ''Erie Railroad Magazine''. He also served as a director of the Corning Free Library and the Corning Chamber of Commerce. He died in Corning on November 13, 1932, and was interred at Hope Cemetery in Corning.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Harry Hayt 1864 births 1932 deaths Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Politicians from Corning, New York Town supervisors in New York (state) New York (state) postmasters Burials in New York (state)