Joseph Marmaduke Pratt (September 4, 1891 – July 19, 1946) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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 ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

Early life

Joseph M. Pratt was born in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

in 1892. He graduated from

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then called Ba ...

in Philadelphia in 1919. He went into the business of manufacturing industrial and marine products. He was a member of the Republican City Committee of Philadelphia from 1937 to 1946.

Congress

Pratt was elected as a Republican to Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of

James P. McGranery James Patrick McGranery (July 8, 1895 – December 23, 1962) was a United States representative from Pennsylvania, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Attorney General of ...

, defeating future congressman

William A. Barrett William Aloysius Barrett (August 14, 1896 – April 12, 1976) was an American lawyer, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 1st congressional dis ...

. He was inaugurated on February 8, 1944. During his term, he was redistricted to the third district, where he was pitted against Democratic incumbent Michael J. Bradley for a full term in

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...

. He lost the election and left office on January 3, 1945. Due to the nature of Pratt's tenure, he was in congress for less than a year, during which he participated in the

78th Congress The 78th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1943, ...

. He voted 44 times, missing 10.7 percent of roll call votes. His voting record was generally conservative, but less so than the median Republican, as he voted with his party 84 percent of the time as opposed to the median Republican score of 88 percent. His most notable vote was in favor of the 1944

G.I. Bill The Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the G.I. Bill, was a law that provided a range of benefits for some of the returning World War II veterans (commonly referred to as G.I.s). The original G.I. Bill expired in 1956, bu ...

, which was signed into law by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on June 22, 1944. During his tenure, Pratt served on one committee, the House War Claims Committee.

Later life and death

He resumed his former business pursuits in Philadelphia, but jumped back into politics in 1946, receiving the Republican nomination for State Senator in Pennsylvania's second state senate district. However, he died in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

while on a business trip before the election was held. Pratt was interred in Arlington Cemetery in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Electoral history

, + Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district: January 1944 special election ! Year ! ! Subject ! Party ! Votes ! % ! ! Opponent ! Party ! Votes ! % , - ,

, , , , Joseph M. Pratt , , Republican , , 24,991 , , 56.59 , , , ,

, , Democratic , , 19,168 , , 43.41 , + Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district: November 1944 general election ! Year ! ! Subject ! Party ! Votes ! % ! ! Opponent ! Party ! Votes ! % , - ,

, , , , Joseph M. Pratt (inc.) , , Republican , , 57,856 , , 41.69 , , , , Michael J. Bradley (inc.) , , Democratic , , 80,920 , , 58.31

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pratt, Joseph M. 1891 births 1946 deaths Temple University alumni Politicians from Philadelphia Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians