John William Pratt, (October 22, 1894—November 29, 1973) was a politician in
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, Canada. He served in the
Legislative Assembly of Manitoba
The Legislative Assembly of Manitoba (french: Assemblée législative du Manitoba) is the deliberative assembly of the Manitoba Legislature in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Fifty-seven members are elected to this assembly at provincial gener ...
from 1927 to 1936.
Pratt was born at
Hempton
Hempton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. The village is south west of Fakenham, north west of Norwich and north east of London. The village straddles the A1065 between Fakenham and Swaffham. The nearest railw ...
,
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, the son of John W. Pratt and Julia A. Dixon. He was educated at
Merchant Taylors' School, London
Small things grow in harmony
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, type = Independent school (UK), Independent day school
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University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.R.F.C. in 1918. In 1920, he married Kathleen A. Barnes.
He was the
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
of
Birtle, Manitoba
Birtle is an unincorporated urban community in the Prairie View Municipality within the Canadian province of Manitoba that held town status prior to 1 January 2015. It is located at the junction of Highways 83 and 42.
History
Originall ...
in 1926 and 1927, and was a director of the Birtle Agricultural Society. He helped to found the firm of Pratt, Lauman. In 1944, Pratt was named
King's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
.
Pratt was first elected to the Manitoba legislature in the provincial election of 1927, as a member of the governing
Progressive Party Progressive Party may refer to:
Active parties
* Progressive Party, Brazil
* Progressive Party (Chile)
* Progressive Party of Working People, Cyprus
* Dominica Progressive Party
* Progressive Party (Iceland)
* Progressive Party (Sardinia), Italy
...
. He campaigned in the constituency of Birtle, and defeated candidates from the
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
and
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
parties. Shortly after the election, he left the government benches to sit as an independent.
He was re-elected as an Independent Progressive in the 1932 provincial election, defeating Conservative W.C. Wroth by 639 votes. The government did not run a candidate against him. Pratt did not seek re-election in 1936.
He died in Birtle at the age of 79.