Zadock Pratt
Encyclopedia
Zadock Pratt Jr. was a tanner, banker, soldier, and member of the United States House of Representatives
. Pratt served in the New York militia from 1819–1826, and was Colonel
of the 116th regiment from 1822 until his resignation from the militia on September 4, 1826.
In the Catskill Mountains
, Pratt built the largest tannery
in the world at its time, and built of the town of Prattsville
to accommodate the labor force necessary for the tannery, raising the town's population from around 500 to over 2000. Pratt was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1836 and 1842. During his second term, in 1845 he first proposed the transcontinental railroad
. In 1848, Pratt tried but failed to receive the Democrat
/Hunker
nomination for the 1848 New York state gubernatorial election. He was a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention
.
In 1843, Pratt established the Prattsville Bank with, which printed its own bills that were kept on par with the US dollar, but he closed the bank nine years later in 1852. Pratt financed multiple smaller tanneries in the Catskills, and also one in Pennsylvania
as a joint venture with Jay Gould
. In 1860 he retired from active business pursuits, and died in 1871.
, to Hannah Pratt (née
Pickett) and Zadock Pratt Sr. He was the 5th of 7 children. In 1797, Pratt moved with his father's family to Midleburg, New York. In 1802, at age 12, Pratt moved with his parents to Windham, New York, which soon became Lexington
, and is current day Jewett
. As a child, he received limited schooling at the public school, and instead worked much on his father's farm and in his tannery. In his father's yard there were "two limes" and eight vats, and the bark was ground with a circular millstone by horse power.
In 1810, at age 20, Pratt became an apprentice to Luther Hayes, a sadler in Durham
. Following his apprenticeship, became was traveling saddler for a year, during which he saved $100. In 1812, he returned to Lexington where he continued his work as a saddler, working fourteen hour days. In 1814, Pratt built a general store in Prattsville where he would barter with residents for goods, and would make periodic trips to New York City
to trade the goods.
Pratt volunteered for the War of 1812
in 1814. He was a Steward of a company stationed at Brooklyn Heights. He was awarded $11 for his claim of arms and clothing which were destroyed during the war. In 1857, he would receive a warrant of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land for his service. In 1815, after war ended, he returned to Lexington, sold his store. On May 7, 1817, he entered the tanning business with his older brother Ezra, and his younger brother Bennett. October 18, 1818, Pratt married Beda Dickerman of Hamden, Connecticut
, who died of tuberculosis
six months later on April 19, 1819. Pratt and his brother Ezra then bought out Bennett's share of the tanning business for $2200 dollars.
During the winter of 1819-20, Pratt and three of his neighbors went on a trading expedition to Canada to sell their leather and other goods. They were successful, and traded their leather for gold and furs from Canadian settlers, and from Native Americans at Rice Lake
. On his return, he stopped at the bank in Catskill, New York
, where he learned that his tannery had burned down in his absence The building was uninsured, and was a loss of $1000; the cause was never determined. However, he resolved to rebuild it. Friends of Pratt's and his brothers donated money for the rebuilding, and it was quickly built.
In 1821, Pratt was appointed a magistrate of Lexington. In 1823, Pratt married Esther Dickerman, sister of his first wife. Esther died less than a year later on April 22, 1824, also of tuberculosis
.
, for its large forests of hemlock
, which was necessary for tanning at the time, as well as its proximity to the Schoharie Creek
. The Prattsville Commercial Building
, built about 1824, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1996.
On October 24, he moved all of his belongings to the site and purchased the large meadow for $1300. The following day he broke ground on the tannery, and with the help of laborers, dammed the creek in the following weeks.
The tannery was 550' long, and 43' wide. There were 350 vats, 6 heaters, 12 leaches, two bark mills driven by a breat wheel, and three hide mills.
for the regiment.
On July 12, 1822, he become a Colonel
for New York's 116th Infantry.
1825, commanded the escort of Lafayette into Catskill.
On October 12, 1827, Pratt married his third wife, Abagail P. Watson of Rensselaer. She died February 5, 1834.
In 1828, his house was built.
November 20, 1832, applied to the State Legislature to divide Windham, and on March 8, 1833, Prattsville was divided off from Windham. At the time it had a population of around 1500.
On January 26, 1834, Pratt's second daughter Abigail was born.Pratt's wife died 10 days later on February 5 at 28 years old.
On March 16, 1835, Pratt married his fourth wife, Mary E. Watson, sister of his third wife.
On July 17, 1868, Mary Pratt died in Providence, New York
.
1836, elected to New York's 8th District, and in the same election, was voted to be and elector for New York.
1839, Westkill Lexington tannery burnt. Lost $10,000, insured for $7,000.
Offered to endow Prattsville Academy with $5,000 if the sum was matched by a Christian church.
In 1842, was elected to New York's 11th District.
1842, Established newspaper Prattsville Advocate, of which J. L. Hackstaff was the editor. In the same year, the Prattsville Academy was built. The land was donated by Pratt, and he provided half of the building costs.
1848, received and honorary Master of the Arts degree from Union College
.
1852, elected as a delegate to the 1852 Democratic Convention.
nomination for New York's 8th congressional district. He won general election by just short of 3,000 votes. On September 10, 1837 Pratt was appointed to the Committee of the Militia, and on December 11, was appointed to the committee on public buildings.
On March 19, 1838, Pratt introduced a bill to drastically lower postage rates, and argued that high postage costs disproportionately affected the poor, and that it was effectively a tax on intelligence, as it hindered the free passage of information. The bill was passed. He felt so strongly about the price of postage that on his grave he had inscribed "WHILE MEMBER OF CONGRESS; MOVED THE REDUCTION OF POSTAGE; A.D. 1838".
On February 25, 1839, Pratt suggested that public buildings no longer be built out of sandstone
, but instead granite
of marble
, because they absorb very little water compared to sandstone, and therefore required less maintenance He also noted that marble was cheaper than granite, when including building costs.
On July 4, 1838, he announced that he declined re-election, although his constituents strongly wanted him to serve another term.
March 18, 1839, Dry Dock in Brooklyn vs. Philadelphia.
Mint in New York vs. Philadelphia.
During his first term, Pratt never missed a session.
The epitaph on Pratt's gravestone reads:
member of the State Senate
in 1830; elected as a Democrat
to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1839); elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (Twenty-eighth Congress).
His first wife was Beda Dickerman, who he married in 1818. She died of tuberculosis
seven months later. In 1821 Pratt married his first wife's sister, Esther Dickerman. Esther died two and a half years later, also from tuberculosis. Pratt married his third wife, Abigail P. Watson of Rensselaerville, on January 12, 1829. Pratt had his only children with Abigail, a boy and a girl. George Watson Pratt was born on April 18, 1831. Three years later Julia P. Pratt was born on January 26, 1834. On February 5, 1834 Abigail, Pratt's third wife, died at twenty-eight years old from complications from the birth of her daughter. Some time later, Pratt married Abigail's sister Mary. They were married until July 17, 1868 when Mary died of unknown causes. One year later Pratt married his fifth wife, Susie A. Grimm of Brooklyn, October 16, 1869. They were married in Grace Episcopal Church, Prattsville; Zadock had given the land and half the money to build the church. They were married until Zadock's death.
In 1856, Zadock Pratt, at 66 years old, met a teenage Jay Gould
, and hired him to survey a tanning site for him in Pennsylvania. Gould found large tracks of hemlock forest for sale, which impressed Pratt, who then made Gould a partner and manager of the new tannery. By another account, Gould decided that he wanted to build a tannery, found a site, and then sought out Pratt's assistance.
There was $120,000 capital for the project, all of which came from Pratt. He left the tannery to Gould, which expanded rapidly, and the surrounding settlement was called Gouldsboro
(also spelled Gouldsborough). However, Pratt became dissatisfied with the returns on his investment, and was concerned that Gould was embezzling. Gould had become acquainted with Charles M. Leupp, a rich merchant from New York City, and had convinced Leupp to loan him the money to buy out Pratt's share. Gould offered Pratt $60,000 for his share of the tannery, which Pratt accepted, transferring Pratt's stake to Leupp.
In 1861, Pratt donated to Prattsville the 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) were Pratt Rock
now is.
, New Jersey
, which had recently been annexed by Jersey City. While recovering he fell down stairs and broke his thigh. He died due to the injury on on April 5, 1871. He is buried in the City Cemetery in Prattsville. Pratt Rock
depicts his life through a series of stone carvings. His former home at Prattsville, the Zadock Pratt House
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1986, and has operated as a house museum since 1959.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Pratt served in the New York militia from 1819–1826, and was Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
of the 116th regiment from 1822 until his resignation from the militia on September 4, 1826.
In the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
, Pratt built the largest tannery
Tanning
Tanning is the making of leather from the skins of animals which does not easily decompose. Traditionally, tanning used tannin, an acidic chemical compound from which the tanning process draws its name . Coloring may occur during tanning...
in the world at its time, and built of the town of Prattsville
Prattsville, New York
Prattsville is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The Town of Prattsville is in the northwest part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 700.- History :...
to accommodate the labor force necessary for the tannery, raising the town's population from around 500 to over 2000. Pratt was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1836 and 1842. During his second term, in 1845 he first proposed the transcontinental railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
. In 1848, Pratt tried but failed to receive the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
/Hunker
Barnburners and Hunkers
The Barnburners were the more radical faction of the New York state Democratic Party in the mid 19th century. The term barnburner was derived from the idea of someone who would burn down his own barn to get rid of a rat infestation, in this case those who would destroy all banks and corporations,...
nomination for the 1848 New York state gubernatorial election. He was a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention
1852 Democratic National Convention
The 1852 Democratic National Convention was held at Maryland Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. This convention is notable for the hostility between groups of the party, divided over the Compromise of 1850. The convention was called to order by Democratic National Committee chairman Benjamin F....
.
In 1843, Pratt established the Prattsville Bank with, which printed its own bills that were kept on par with the US dollar, but he closed the bank nine years later in 1852. Pratt financed multiple smaller tanneries in the Catskills, and also one in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
as a joint venture with Jay Gould
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
. In 1860 he retired from active business pursuits, and died in 1871.
Early Life and Family
Zadock Pratt was born on October 30, 1790, in Stephentown, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to Hannah Pratt (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Pickett) and Zadock Pratt Sr. He was the 5th of 7 children. In 1797, Pratt moved with his father's family to Midleburg, New York. In 1802, at age 12, Pratt moved with his parents to Windham, New York, which soon became Lexington
Lexington, New York
Lexington is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 805 at the 2010 census.The Town of Lexington is in the southwest part of Greene County.- History :The town was first settled around 1788....
, and is current day Jewett
Jewett, New York
Jewett is a town centrally located in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 953 at the 2010 census. The town is named after Judge Freeborn Jewett.- History :The town was first settled around 1784....
. As a child, he received limited schooling at the public school, and instead worked much on his father's farm and in his tannery. In his father's yard there were "two limes" and eight vats, and the bark was ground with a circular millstone by horse power.
In 1810, at age 20, Pratt became an apprentice to Luther Hayes, a sadler in Durham
Durham, New York
Durham is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 2,725 at the 2010 census. The town was named after Durham, Connecticut.The Town of Durham is in the northwest corner of the county.- History :...
. Following his apprenticeship, became was traveling saddler for a year, during which he saved $100. In 1812, he returned to Lexington where he continued his work as a saddler, working fourteen hour days. In 1814, Pratt built a general store in Prattsville where he would barter with residents for goods, and would make periodic trips to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to trade the goods.
Pratt volunteered for the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
in 1814. He was a Steward of a company stationed at Brooklyn Heights. He was awarded $11 for his claim of arms and clothing which were destroyed during the war. In 1857, he would receive a warrant of 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) of land for his service. In 1815, after war ended, he returned to Lexington, sold his store. On May 7, 1817, he entered the tanning business with his older brother Ezra, and his younger brother Bennett. October 18, 1818, Pratt married Beda Dickerman of Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden, Connecticut
Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant." Hamden is home to Quinnipiac University. The population was 58,180 according to the Census Bureau's 2005 estimates...
, who died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
six months later on April 19, 1819. Pratt and his brother Ezra then bought out Bennett's share of the tanning business for $2200 dollars.
During the winter of 1819-20, Pratt and three of his neighbors went on a trading expedition to Canada to sell their leather and other goods. They were successful, and traded their leather for gold and furs from Canadian settlers, and from Native Americans at Rice Lake
Rice Lake (Ontario)
Rice Lake is a lake located in south-eastern Ontario, in Northumberland County, south of Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes and north of Cobourg. The lake is part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which flows into the lake by the Otonabee and out via the Trent. The lake is 32 km long and...
. On his return, he stopped at the bank in Catskill, New York
Catskill (town), New York
Catskill is a town in the southeast part of Greene County, New York, United States. The population was 11,775 at the 2010 census. The western part of the town is in the Catskill Park....
, where he learned that his tannery had burned down in his absence The building was uninsured, and was a loss of $1000; the cause was never determined. However, he resolved to rebuild it. Friends of Pratt's and his brothers donated money for the rebuilding, and it was quickly built.
In 1821, Pratt was appointed a magistrate of Lexington. In 1823, Pratt married Esther Dickerman, sister of his first wife. Esther died less than a year later on April 22, 1824, also of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
Pratt's tannery
Pratt had been planning a tanning businessmen much larger than what he was currently engaged it, and Esther's death put him into action. He dissolved his partnership with his brother, and, with $14000 in capital, began seeking a location for his new tannery. He spent the summer of 1824 exploring the surrounding counties with his dog for the best place for his planned operations. He decided on a region in the very western part of Windham , in what is current day PrattsvillePrattsville, New York
Prattsville is a town in Greene County, New York, United States. The Town of Prattsville is in the northwest part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 700.- History :...
, for its large forests of hemlock
Tsuga
Tsuga is a genus of conifers in the family Pinaceae. The common name hemlock is derived from a perceived similarity in the smell of its crushed foliage to that of the unrelated plant poison hemlock....
, which was necessary for tanning at the time, as well as its proximity to the Schoharie Creek
Schoharie Creek
Schoharie Creek in New York, USA flows north from the foot of Indian Head Mountain in the Catskill Mountains through the Schoharie Valley to the Mohawk River. It is twice impounded north of Prattsville to create New York City's Schoharie Reservoir and the Blenheim-Gilboa Power Project.Two notable...
. The Prattsville Commercial Building
Prattsville Commercial Building
Prattsville Commercial Building is a historic commercial building located at Prattsville in Greene County, New York. It was built about 1824 and is a -story building constructed of massive hemlock timber frame on a dry laid fieldstone foundation. It is built into the side of the east bank of...
, built about 1824, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1996.
On October 24, he moved all of his belongings to the site and purchased the large meadow for $1300. The following day he broke ground on the tannery, and with the help of laborers, dammed the creek in the following weeks.
The tannery was 550' long, and 43' wide. There were 350 vats, 6 heaters, 12 leaches, two bark mills driven by a breat wheel, and three hide mills.
Military and second, third, and fourth wives
On April 25, 1820, Pratt was chosen as Captain of the Fifth regiment of New York State Artillery, which consisted of 130 men. Acquired a cannon that had been used at the Battle of PlattsburghBattle of Plattsburgh
The Battle of Plattsburgh, also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain, ended the final invasion of the northern states during the War of 1812...
for the regiment.
On July 12, 1822, he become a Colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
for New York's 116th Infantry.
1825, commanded the escort of Lafayette into Catskill.
On October 12, 1827, Pratt married his third wife, Abagail P. Watson of Rensselaer. She died February 5, 1834.
In 1828, his house was built.
November 20, 1832, applied to the State Legislature to divide Windham, and on March 8, 1833, Prattsville was divided off from Windham. At the time it had a population of around 1500.
On January 26, 1834, Pratt's second daughter Abigail was born.Pratt's wife died 10 days later on February 5 at 28 years old.
On March 16, 1835, Pratt married his fourth wife, Mary E. Watson, sister of his third wife.
On July 17, 1868, Mary Pratt died in Providence, New York
Providence, New York
Providence is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,841 at the 2000 census.The Town of Providence is on the county's western border and is west of Saratoga Springs, New York.- History :...
.
1836, elected to New York's 8th District, and in the same election, was voted to be and elector for New York.
1839, Westkill Lexington tannery burnt. Lost $10,000, insured for $7,000.
Offered to endow Prattsville Academy with $5,000 if the sum was matched by a Christian church.
In 1842, was elected to New York's 11th District.
1842, Established newspaper Prattsville Advocate, of which J. L. Hackstaff was the editor. In the same year, the Prattsville Academy was built. The land was donated by Pratt, and he provided half of the building costs.
1848, received and honorary Master of the Arts degree from Union College
Union College
Union College is a private, non-denominational liberal arts college located in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. In the 19th century, it became the "Mother of Fraternities", as...
.
1852, elected as a delegate to the 1852 Democratic Convention.
Prattsville and his Tannery
First term as Congressman
In 1836, Pratt earned the DemocraticDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nomination for New York's 8th congressional district. He won general election by just short of 3,000 votes. On September 10, 1837 Pratt was appointed to the Committee of the Militia, and on December 11, was appointed to the committee on public buildings.
On March 19, 1838, Pratt introduced a bill to drastically lower postage rates, and argued that high postage costs disproportionately affected the poor, and that it was effectively a tax on intelligence, as it hindered the free passage of information. The bill was passed. He felt so strongly about the price of postage that on his grave he had inscribed "WHILE MEMBER OF CONGRESS; MOVED THE REDUCTION OF POSTAGE; A.D. 1838".
On February 25, 1839, Pratt suggested that public buildings no longer be built out of sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
, but instead granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
of marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
, because they absorb very little water compared to sandstone, and therefore required less maintenance He also noted that marble was cheaper than granite, when including building costs.
On July 4, 1838, he announced that he declined re-election, although his constituents strongly wanted him to serve another term.
March 18, 1839, Dry Dock in Brooklyn vs. Philadelphia.
Mint in New York vs. Philadelphia.
During his first term, Pratt never missed a session.
Second Term as Congressman
Pratt did not intend to run for Congress again after declining to run for re-election following his first term as Congressman. However, in 1842 he accepted the nomination.Legacy as a Congressman
As a congressman, Pratt pushed for legislation.- Reduce the cost of postage from $.25 to $.05 in 1838.
- Create the Bureau of Engraving and Patents
- Construct public buildings in Washington, DC, of marble or granite, not sandstone.
- Construct the Dry Dock in Brooklyn.
- Initiate first survey for the Transcontinental RailroadFirst Transcontinental RailroadThe First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
1844. - While in Congress he began a movement to complete the Washington MonumentWashington MonumentThe Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
, and he also started a practice of hanging the Presidential Portraits in the Rotunda.
The epitaph on Pratt's gravestone reads:
WHILE MEMBER OF CONGRESS
MOVED THE REDUCTION OF POSTAGE
A.D. 1838
AND THE SURVEY FOR A RAILROAD
TO THE PACIFIC A.D. 1844
member of the State Senate
New York State Senate
The New York State Senate is one of two houses in the New York State Legislature and has members each elected to two-year terms. There are no limits on the number of terms one may serve...
in 1830; elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Twenty-fifth Congress (March 4, 1837-March 3, 1839); elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843-March 3, 1845); chairman, Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds (Twenty-eighth Congress).
Zadock Pratt's Wives
Pratt had five wives throughout his life.His first wife was Beda Dickerman, who he married in 1818. She died of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
seven months later. In 1821 Pratt married his first wife's sister, Esther Dickerman. Esther died two and a half years later, also from tuberculosis. Pratt married his third wife, Abigail P. Watson of Rensselaerville, on January 12, 1829. Pratt had his only children with Abigail, a boy and a girl. George Watson Pratt was born on April 18, 1831. Three years later Julia P. Pratt was born on January 26, 1834. On February 5, 1834 Abigail, Pratt's third wife, died at twenty-eight years old from complications from the birth of her daughter. Some time later, Pratt married Abigail's sister Mary. They were married until July 17, 1868 when Mary died of unknown causes. One year later Pratt married his fifth wife, Susie A. Grimm of Brooklyn, October 16, 1869. They were married in Grace Episcopal Church, Prattsville; Zadock had given the land and half the money to build the church. They were married until Zadock's death.
Later life and death
Jay Gould
Jason "Jay" Gould was a leading American railroad developer and speculator. He has long been vilified as an archetypal robber baron, whose successes made him the ninth richest American in history. Condé Nast Portfolio ranked Gould as the 8th worst American CEO of all time...
, and hired him to survey a tanning site for him in Pennsylvania. Gould found large tracks of hemlock forest for sale, which impressed Pratt, who then made Gould a partner and manager of the new tannery. By another account, Gould decided that he wanted to build a tannery, found a site, and then sought out Pratt's assistance.
There was $120,000 capital for the project, all of which came from Pratt. He left the tannery to Gould, which expanded rapidly, and the surrounding settlement was called Gouldsboro
Gouldsboro, Pennsylvania
Gouldsboro is a small village located in Lehigh Township in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.Parts of Clifton Township, Thornhurst Township, and Covington Township in Lackawanna County, as well as a very small portion of Coolbaugh Township in Monroe County are serviced by the Gouldsboro Post Office, and...
(also spelled Gouldsborough). However, Pratt became dissatisfied with the returns on his investment, and was concerned that Gould was embezzling. Gould had become acquainted with Charles M. Leupp, a rich merchant from New York City, and had convinced Leupp to loan him the money to buy out Pratt's share. Gould offered Pratt $60,000 for his share of the tannery, which Pratt accepted, transferring Pratt's stake to Leupp.
In 1861, Pratt donated to Prattsville the 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) were Pratt Rock
Pratt Rock
Pratt Rock, also known as Pratt's Rock, is a rockface or other landform that includes a series of stone carvings in Prattsville, New York depicting the life of Zadock Pratt...
now is.
Death
Zadock became ill with a fever while he and his wife were visiting relatives in BergenBergen City, New Jersey
Bergen was a city that existed in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States, from 1855 to 1870.-History:Bergen was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1855, from portions of Bergen Township. In 1862, it did a reverse takeover, absorbing the...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, which had recently been annexed by Jersey City. While recovering he fell down stairs and broke his thigh. He died due to the injury on on April 5, 1871. He is buried in the City Cemetery in Prattsville. Pratt Rock
Pratt Rock
Pratt Rock, also known as Pratt's Rock, is a rockface or other landform that includes a series of stone carvings in Prattsville, New York depicting the life of Zadock Pratt...
depicts his life through a series of stone carvings. His former home at Prattsville, the Zadock Pratt House
Zadock Pratt House
Zadock Pratt House, also known as the Zadock Pratt Museum, is a historic home located at Prattsville in Greene County, New York. It was originally built in 1828 as a two story, five bay Federal style residence. It was substantially altered about 1856 with the addition of numerous architectural...
, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1986, and has operated as a house museum since 1959.