Marvin E. Pratt (born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who served as acting

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 ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

in 2004 and as interim Milwaukee County Executive in 2011. He was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensla ...

to serve as mayor of Milwaukee.

Early life

Pratt was born on May 26, 1944 to Leon Pratt Sr., a United States Naval officer, and Mildred Joyce Pratt in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

. While living in Dallas, he attended a local Catholic school with his twin sister, Marielle, until his family moved to

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

, in 1959, following the death of his father in a car accident in 1949. He has two sisters, Gwen and Reba, and a brother, Leon Jr.. Pratt graduated from North Division High School in 1962 and immediately joined the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

. He was stationed in the

Libyan desert The Libyan Desert (not to be confused with the Libyan Sahara) is a geographical region filling the north-eastern Sahara Desert, from eastern Libya to the Western Desert of Egypt and far northwestern Sudan. On medieval maps, its use predates t ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietna ...

and was honorably discharged in the mid 60s. When he returned to Milwaukee after his service, he enrolled in Marquette University and gained a degree in political science in 1972. Pratt became an intern for mayor

Henry Maier Henry Walter Maier (February 7, 1918 – July 17, 1994) was an American politician and the longest-serving mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, holding office from 1960 to 1988. A Democrat, Maier was a powerful and controversial figure, presiding ove ...

and began climbing a ladder of local government jobs.

Political life

Pratt ran for an aldermanic seat in 1984, a tense time for race relations in the city. During this year, there was a racial divide over whether or not to rename what was then known as North 3rd Street to Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Despite his loss to Roy B. Nabors in 1984, he ran for the same seat and won in a 1986 special election. Upon his election in 1986, Pratt was appointed to the Finance and Personnel Committee, where he continuously served as member and eventually chairman from 1996 to 2000. One of his notable victories while serving on the Common Council was the creation of the Resident's Preference Program in 1991, as described on the official website of the City of Milwaukee: This program is still in effect today, and has been expanded to include private businesses. In 2000, Pratt was elected the president of the Common Council: "...he was motivated to run after seeing so many vacant boarded up houses never changing in Milwaukee neighborhoods. The city was divided and the city workforce and federal departments didn't represent Milwaukee's population." When mayor

John Norquist John Olof Norquist (born October 22, 1949, in Princeton, New Jersey) is an American politician who was the 37th mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He served as mayor from 1988 until he left office in 2004 to lead the Congress for the New Urbanism. P ...

stepped down in 2004 three months before his term expired, Pratt became acting mayor. He was the first African-American to serve as mayor of Milwaukee. Pratt ran in a primary election for the Mayoral seat and finished first from a field of thirteen candidates during the primary. He lost his bid to retain the job to Tom Barrett in the 2004 general election. On February 4, 2011, Pratt was sworn in as interim Milwaukee

County Executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

. Appointed by County Board Chairman Lee Holloway, he filled the unexpired term of former

Milwaukee County Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous coun ...

Executive Scott Walker, who was elected governor of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...

, until the special Spring Election held on April 5, 2011. Upon being sworn in, Pratt became the first person to have served as both Milwaukee Mayor and Milwaukee County Executive. On April 5, 2011, Chris Abele defeated Republican challenger Jeff Stone, capturing over 61% of the vote and succeeded Pratt to serve out the remainder of then-County Executive Scott Walker's original term.Schultze, Steve (April 6, 2011). Abele defeats Stone for Milwaukee County executive. Journal Sentinel, April 6, 2011. Retrieved from http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/119299589.html.

Personal life and legacy

Pratt married Dianne Sherrill in 1971. They have two children, Michael Pratt and Andrea Pratt. They have five grandchildren. Pratt was a major in the United States Army Reserves. In October 2015, the Milwaukee Public School Board passed a resolution to rename Silver Spring Elementary after Pratt. On July 15, 2016, the school was officially renamed Marvin E. Pratt Elementary School.

Electoral history

*2004 Race for Mayor (Milwaukee) ** Tom Barrett (D), 54% **Marvin Pratt (D) (inc.), 46%

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Marvin 1944 births 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians African-American mayors in Wisconsin Living people Marquette University alumni Mayors of Milwaukee Military personnel from Dallas Military personnel from Wisconsin Milwaukee Common Council members Milwaukee County Executives North Division High School (Milwaukee) alumni Politicians from Dallas Wisconsin Democrats 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians