John Teele Pratt (December 25, 1873 – June 17, 1927) was an American corporate attorney, philanthropist, music impresario, and financier.

Early life

Pratt was born in Brooklyn, New York, on December 25, 1873. He was one of six children born to industrialist and

Standard Oil Standard Oil Company, Inc., was an American oil production, transportation, refining, and marketing company that operated from 1870 to 1911. At its height, Standard Oil was the largest petroleum company in the world, and its success made its co-f ...

co-founder Charles Pratt and Mary Helen (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Richardson) Pratt. His siblings included brothers Frederic Bayley Pratt,

George Dupont Pratt George Dupont Pratt (August 16, 1869 – January 20, 1935) was an American conservationist, philanthropist, Boy Scout sponsor, big-game hunter and collector of ancient antiquities. Early life Pratt was born on August 16, 1869, and raised i ...

Herbert Lee Pratt Herbert Lee Pratt (November 21, 1871 – February 3, 1945) was an American businessman and a leading figure in the United States oil industry. In 1923, he became head of Standard Oil of New York; his father Charles Pratt was a founder of Ast ...

, and

Harold Irving Pratt Harold Irving Pratt (February 1, 1877 – May 29, 1939) was an American oil industrialist and philanthropist. A director of Standard Oil of New Jersey, he also served on the Council of Foreign Relations from 1923 to 1939. Early life He was bo ...

. From his father's first marriage, he had two half-siblings including Charles Millard Pratt. After graduating from

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

in 1896, he studied at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, graduating in 1900.

Career

He worked as a lawyer for the prestigious firm of

Carter and Ledyard Carter Ledyard & Milburn LLP is a New York City law firm. The firm was founded in 1854 by Henry Scudder and James C. Carter. Former partners * Grenville Clark, a member of the Harvard Corporation, co-author of the book ''World Peace Through W ...

at 54 Wall Street in

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 * '' ...

. Pratt became a director in the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, and a trustee in the

Pratt Institute Pratt Institute is a private university with its main campus in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York. It has a satellite campus in Manhattan and an extension campus in Utica, New York at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute. The school was ...

which was founded by his father. He was also a partner in the Stock Exchange firm of Grayson M.P. Murphy & Co. and a director of several banks.

Personal life

In 1904, Pratt married Ruth Sears Baker (1877–1965), a

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

graduate and the daughter of Edwin K. Baker, a Massachusetts dry-goods merchant. In 1929, two years after his eventual death in 1927, Ruth became the first woman elected to the United States Congress from the State of New York. Together, they were the parents of five children: * John Teele Pratt Jr. (1903–1969), who was married to Mary Christy Tiffany (1905–1980), the daughter of George Shepley Tiffany. They divorced and he later married Elizabeth Ogden Woodward (1907–1986), the daughter of William Woodward Sr. and the former wife of Robert Livingston Stevens Jr. After his death, she married Alexander Cochrane Cushing, founder of Squaw Valley Ski Resort. * Virginia Pratt (1905–1979), who married Robert Helyer Thayer (1901−1984), a U.S. Minister to Romania, in 1926. * Sally Sears Pratt (1908–1973), who married James Tracy Jackson III (1905–1986) in 1928. * Phyllis Pratt (1912–1987), who married

Paul Henry Nitze Paul Henry Nitze (January 16, 1907 – October 19, 2004) was an American politician who served as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department. He is best k ...

(1907–2004), the Secretary of the Navy and Deputy Secretary of Defense under President Lyndon B. Johnson. * Edwin Howard Baker Pratt (1913–1975), the headmaster of Browne & Nichols school, who married Aileen Kelly.

Death

Pratt died suddenly in his Broadway office on June 17, 1927, aged 53, of heart disease. Thirty six years earlier, his father, Charles Pratt, had died of heart disease in offices at the same address.

Legacy

In 1910, Pratt and his wife had a brick neo-Georgian mansion, known as "The Manor", designed by architect Charles A. Platt built at their 55-acre Glen Cove estate. In 1913, it was considered by Country Life Magazine to be one of the best twelve country houses in America. The home served as the summer White House for Herbert Hoover. It is now the Glen Cove Mansion Hotel and Conference Center. The John Teele Pratt residence, at 11 East 61st St. in New York City was purchased by the Pratts, who hired

Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert (August 29, 1861 – October 25, 1952) was an American architect of the late-19th and early-20th centuries best known for designing townhouses and mansions. Background and early life Born in New York City, ...

to remodel the 1872 home in April 1907. In 1914, Pratt purchased the neighboring homes at 7 and 9 East 61st Street and hired Platt to tear them down and design a new residence.

Descendants

Through his eldest son John, he was the grandfather of Mary Christy Pratt (1923–1960), who was married to Bayard Cutting Auchincloss (1922–2001), the nephew of U.S. Representative

James C. Auchincloss James Coats Auchincloss (January 19, 1885 – October 2, 1976) was an American businessman and Republican Party politician who represented northern coastal region of New Jersey in the United States House of Representatives from 1943–196 ...

, in 1950. He is also the great-grandfather of actress

Suzanna Love Suzanna Potter Love (born April 8, 1950) is an American former actress known for her appearances in several films directed by her husband, German director Ulli Lommel, in the 1980s. Early life Love was born in New York City on April 8, 1950, to M ...

(b. 1950). Through his daughter Phyllis, he was the grandfather of William A. Nitze of Washington, DC, the chairman of Oceana Technologies and Clearpath Technologies, who married Ann Kendall Richards, an independent art dealer. Through his son Edwin, he was the grandfather of singer-songwriter Andy Pratt (b. 1947).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, John Teele 1873 births 1927 deaths Philanthropists from New York (state) American businesspeople in the oil industry Amherst College alumni Harvard Law School alumni People from Glen Cove, New York People from Clinton Hill, Brooklyn Charles Pratt family