John Lee Pratt
Encyclopedia
John Lee Pratt was an American
businessman
. He was born in King George County, Virginia
, received a civil engineering
degree from the University of Virginia
, entered the ranks of American business executives in two major U.S. corporation
s, and later purchased and helped preserve historic Chatham Manor
in Stafford County, Virginia
which, upon his death, he gave to the National Park Service
.
and, particularly serving with note during World War I
in its Washington State plant, Pratt was selected in 1919 by Pierre S. du Pont
to work in a corporation newly invested in by du Pont and other significant, wealthy businessmen—General Motors Corporation which was founded in 1908 by William Durant ("GM"). Pratt was, in effect, DuPont's man on the inside, initially solely looking out for DuPont's interests.
Pratt rose to became a member of the corporation's executive committee and, from the 1920s until 1968, served on GM's Board of Directors
. He was later a company Vice President
and is credited with supporting the idea of purchasing what became the Frigidaire
Division of GM and given credit for overseeing the development of the coolant, Freon.
In 1932, he bought "Chatham Manor", an expansive Georgian
, Colonial mansion
on the Rappahannock River
in Stafford County, opposite Fredericksburg
as his future retirement
home. He paid $150,000 in cash for the property, roughly the equivalent of $2.6 Million in 2007. By moving to "Chatham", he was—in effect—moving back to his hometown.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
to serve on the War Resources Board. He later continued his public service as a member of the Lend-Lease Administration
, in which capacity he came into contact with important leaders of his day, including United States Secretary of State
George C. Marshall who visited Chatham to go duck
hunting
. Pratt met General (and later president) Dwight D. Eisenhower
who also may have been a guest at Chatham.
and, during the American Civil War
, Abraham Lincoln
. The extensive garden
s, installed by the estate's
earlier owners during the 1920s, were such a draw for curious visitors that he actually had them dug up and reinstalled in a more subdued design.
Mr. and Mrs. Pratt were deeply involved in the local community
in their later years and were quiet philanthropist
s supporting University programs in Virginia and college educations for worthwhile community young people who had been identified for their potential by other religious and community leaders. In none of these endeavors did they seek publicity or recognition.
Many of the late 20th Century leaders of the Fredericksburg area communities and businesses were later revealed to have been supported in their college education years by the Pratts. The community leaders of this era are only now retiring or, actually, passing away.
After his wife died, Pratt continued to socialize with his former childhood
friend
s in Fredericksburg, walking regularly into the city even though he could have afforded a chauffeur
and any car in the GM fleet. His rumpled appearance belied his comfortable station in life while he continued his life-long associations and played in weekly penny-ante poker
games with his friends.
Lillian Pratt died in 1947 and willed her extensive jewelry collection to the then-new Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
in Richmond, Virginia
. Since the 1920s, encouraged by a family acquaintance, the businessman Armand Hammer
, she had accumulated a large collection of Peter Carl Fabergé
jewelry, including five Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs; the Revolving Miniatures
, Pelican
, Peter the Great
, Czarevich
, Red Cross with Imperial Portraits
examples, as well as pin
s and bracelet
s which were being sold by the then-new government of the Soviet Union
to raise capital for the Soviet state. This collection, at the time the largest private collection of such items, had been initially acquired through purchases on her Lord & Taylor
Department Store charge account. The "Lillian Pratt Collection" at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a key part of that institution's exhibits. Lillian Pratt is buried in Tacoma, Washington
.
as well as a museum
open to the public along with the grounds and gardens. Pratt also willed a portion of the Chatham estate to the local community to be used as a park
and, further, gave land for the initial establishment of a local YMCA
.
At the time of Mr. Pratt's death, Fortune magazine listed him as the "single largest shareholder" in General Motors and it was reported that Mr. Pratt owned approximately 17.4 percent of the company.
The remainder of his estate
was auctioned with the proceeds donated to the University of Virginia (his alma mater), Virginia Tech
, Washington and Lee University and Johns Hopkins University
.
His cremated
remains rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
. He was born in King George County, Virginia
King George County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 23,584 people, 9,411 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. The population density was 93 people per square mile . There were 6,820 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, received a civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
degree from the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, entered the ranks of American business executives in two major U.S. corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
s, and later purchased and helped preserve historic Chatham Manor
Chatham Manor
Chatham Manor is the Georgian-style home completed in 1771 by William Fitzhugh, after about 3 years of construction, on the Rappahannock River in Stafford County, Virginia, opposite Fredericksburg. It was for more than a century the center of a large, thriving plantation. Flanking the main house...
in Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...
which, upon his death, he gave to the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
Education and employment
Pratt was a farm boy who was adept at fixing things. He matriculated at the University of Virginia and received a Chemical Engineering Degree in 1902. After beginning his business career with the DuPont CompanyDuPont
E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company , commonly referred to as DuPont, is an American chemical company that was founded in July 1802 as a gunpowder mill by Eleuthère Irénée du Pont. DuPont was the world's third largest chemical company based on market capitalization and ninth based on revenue in 2009...
and, particularly serving with note during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in its Washington State plant, Pratt was selected in 1919 by Pierre S. du Pont
Pierre S. du Pont
Pierre Samuel du Pont was president of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company from 1915 to 1919, and served on its Board of Directors until 1940...
to work in a corporation newly invested in by du Pont and other significant, wealthy businessmen—General Motors Corporation which was founded in 1908 by William Durant ("GM"). Pratt was, in effect, DuPont's man on the inside, initially solely looking out for DuPont's interests.
Pratt rose to became a member of the corporation's executive committee and, from the 1920s until 1968, served on GM's Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
. He was later a company Vice President
Vice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
and is credited with supporting the idea of purchasing what became the Frigidaire
Frigidaire
Frigidaire is a brand of consumer and commercial appliances. Frigidaire was founded as the Guardian Frigerator Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and developed the first self-contained refrigerator in 1916. In 1918, William C...
Division of GM and given credit for overseeing the development of the coolant, Freon.
In 1932, he bought "Chatham Manor", an expansive Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, Colonial mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
on the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
in Stafford County, opposite Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
as his future retirement
Retirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
home. He paid $150,000 in cash for the property, roughly the equivalent of $2.6 Million in 2007. By moving to "Chatham", he was—in effect—moving back to his hometown.
War Resources Board
Prior to the Second World War, Pratt was appointed by President of the United StatesPresident of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
to serve on the War Resources Board. He later continued his public service as a member of the Lend-Lease Administration
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
, in which capacity he came into contact with important leaders of his day, including United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
George C. Marshall who visited Chatham to go duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
. Pratt met General (and later president) Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
who also may have been a guest at Chatham.
Personal life
Pratt and his wife, Lillian, continued the restoration of the historic property throughout much of their lives. She died in 1947 and he became tired of the constant flow of visitors arriving to tour the property which, in the Colonial era, entertained George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and, during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. The extensive garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, installed by the estate's
Estate (house)
An estate comprises the houses and outbuildings and supporting farmland and woods that surround the gardens and grounds of a very large property, such as a country house or mansion. It is the modern term for a manor, but lacks the latter's now abolished jurisdictional authority...
earlier owners during the 1920s, were such a draw for curious visitors that he actually had them dug up and reinstalled in a more subdued design.
Mr. and Mrs. Pratt were deeply involved in the local community
Local community
A local community is a group of interacting people sharing an environment. In human communities, intent, belief, resources, preferences, needs, risks, and a number of other conditions may be present and common, affecting the identity of the participants and their degree of cohesiveness.- Overview...
in their later years and were quiet philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
s supporting University programs in Virginia and college educations for worthwhile community young people who had been identified for their potential by other religious and community leaders. In none of these endeavors did they seek publicity or recognition.
Many of the late 20th Century leaders of the Fredericksburg area communities and businesses were later revealed to have been supported in their college education years by the Pratts. The community leaders of this era are only now retiring or, actually, passing away.
After his wife died, Pratt continued to socialize with his former childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
friend
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
s in Fredericksburg, walking regularly into the city even though he could have afforded a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
and any car in the GM fleet. His rumpled appearance belied his comfortable station in life while he continued his life-long associations and played in weekly penny-ante poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
games with his friends.
Lillian Pratt died in 1947 and willed her extensive jewelry collection to the then-new Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
The Virginia Museum of Fine arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, in the United States, which opened in 1936.The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia, while private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the support of specific programs and all...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
. Since the 1920s, encouraged by a family acquaintance, the businessman Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer
Armand Hammer was an American business tycoon most closely associated with Occidental Petroleum, a company he ran for decades, though he was known as well as for his art collection, his philanthropy, and for his close ties to the Soviet Union.Thanks to business interests around the world and his...
, she had accumulated a large collection of Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Carl Fabergé
Peter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
jewelry, including five Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs; the Revolving Miniatures
Revolving Miniatures (Fabergé egg)
The Rock Crystal Egg or Revolving Miniatures Egg is an Imperial Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jeweled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé for the Russian Imperial family. It was created in 1896 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna...
, Pelican
Pelican (Fabergé egg)
The Dowager Fabergé egg, is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1898...
, Peter the Great
Peter the Great (Fabergé egg)
Peter, the Great Egg, is a jewelled Easter egg made under the supervision of the Russian jeweler Peter Carl Fabergé in 1903, for the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. Tsar Nicholas presented the egg to his wife, the Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna...
, Czarevich
Czarevich (Fabergé egg)
The Tsarevich Egg is a Fabergé egg, one in a series of fifty-two jewelled eggs made under the supervision of Peter Carl Fabergé. It was created in 1912 for Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna as a tribute by Faberge to her son the Tsarevich Alexis...
, Red Cross with Imperial Portraits
Red Cross with Imperial Portraits (Fabergé egg)
The Red Cross with Imperial portraits egg is a jewelled and enameled Easter egg made by Henrik Wigström under the supervision of the Russian jeweller Peter Carl Fabergé in 1915, for Nicholas II of Russia, who presented the egg to his mother, the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, in the same...
examples, as well as pin
Brooch
A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material...
s and bracelet
Bracelet
A bracelet is an article of jewelry which is worn around the wrist. Bracelets can be manufactured from metal, leather, cloth, plastic or other materials and sometimes contain jewels, rocks, wood, and/or shells...
s which were being sold by the then-new government of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to raise capital for the Soviet state. This collection, at the time the largest private collection of such items, had been initially acquired through purchases on her Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor
Lord & Taylor, colloquially known as L&T, or LT, based in New York City, is the oldest upscale, specialty-retail department store chain in the United States. Concentrated in the eastern U.S., the retailer operated independently for nearly a century prior to joining American Dry Goods...
Department Store charge account. The "Lillian Pratt Collection" at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is a key part of that institution's exhibits. Lillian Pratt is buried in Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
.
Death
Upon his death in 1975, "Chatham Manor" and 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) surrounding were given to the National Park Service which now uses the estate for its headquarters facility in the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military ParkFredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park is a unit of the National Park Service in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and elsewhere in Spotsylvania County, commemorating four major battles in the American Civil War.-Park:...
as well as a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
open to the public along with the grounds and gardens. Pratt also willed a portion of the Chatham estate to the local community to be used as a park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
and, further, gave land for the initial establishment of a local YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
At the time of Mr. Pratt's death, Fortune magazine listed him as the "single largest shareholder" in General Motors and it was reported that Mr. Pratt owned approximately 17.4 percent of the company.
The remainder of his estate
Estate (law)
An estate is the net worth of a person at any point in time. It is the sum of a person's assets - legal rights, interests and entitlements to property of any kind - less all liabilities at that time. The issue is of special legal significance on a question of bankruptcy and death of the person...
was auctioned with the proceeds donated to the University of Virginia (his alma mater), Virginia Tech
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, popularly known as Virginia Tech , is a public land-grant university with the main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia with other research and educational centers throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and internationally.Founded in...
, Washington and Lee University and Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
.
His cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
remains rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Fredericksburg, Virginia.