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127:âone of GM's early executives and later Presidentâcited John Pratt as "one of the best business executives" he had ever known. Unheralded might be another adjective applied to Pratt. In a 1950's survey, Fortune magazine listed Pratt as 17th on a list of the 50 wealthiest persons in the United States.
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in 1940 to âfoster the personal, creative efforts of
Virginiaâs best artists and most promising art students who are in need of financial assistanceâ. His will provided that the bulk of his estateâmore than $ 60 million (approximately $ 240 million in todayâs dollars)âwould go to ten colleges. Of
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Held at the
University of Virginia, the Papers of John Lee Pratt, 1931, 1940-1972 is a collection of 2300 items that deal primarily with Prattâs educational philanthropy especially for medical and scientific research at Johns Hopkinsâ McCollum Pratt Institute and the science departments at the
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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.
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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.
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open to the public (but with more limited hours than the grounds and gardens). Pratt also willed a portion of the
Chatham estate (an adjacent bluff overlooking the Rappahannock River) to the local community to be used as a
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Pratt was a farm boy adept at fixing things. After a year at
Randolph Macon College, Pratt matriculated at the University of Virginia and received an Engineering Degree in 1902. After beginning his business career with the
228:, continued the restoration of the historic property throughout much of their lives. After she died in 1947, he tired of the constant flow of visitors arriving to tour the property which, in the Colonial era, entertained
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Upon his death in 1975, "Chatham Manor" and 30 acres (120,000 m) surrounding were bequeathed to the
National Park Service, which now uses the estate for its headquarters facility in the
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earlier owners during the 1920s, were, to him, a bothersome draw for curious visitors. He had the intricately designed garden area dug up and reinstalled in a more subdued design.
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home. He paid $ 150,000 in cash for the property, roughly the equivalent of $ 2.4 Million in 2020. By moving to "Chatham," he wasâin effectâmoving back to his hometown area.
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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
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and any car in the GM fleet. His rumpled appearance belied his comfortable station in life while he continued his lifelong associations and played in weekly penny-ante
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magazine listed Pratt as the "single largest shareholder" in
General Motors, and it was reported that Pratt owned approximately 17.4 percent of the company.
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these, $ 11.5 million was provided to
Virginia Tech with funds split between the College of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
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who was a guest at Chatham. He traveled to London, as well, reporting back to Roosevelt about Britain's condition and readiness for the war.
760:"Pratt, John Lee, 1879-1975. Papers of John Lee Pratt [maunscript], 1940-1972. - View Resource - Social Networks and Archival Context"
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state. This collection, at the time the largest private collection of such items, had been initially acquired through purchases on her
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570:"John Lee Pratt at Chatham Manor - Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park (U.S. National Park Service)"
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Pratt rose to become a member of the corporation's executive committee and, from 1923 until 1968, served on GM's
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104:. Pratt was, in effect, DuPont's man on the inside, initially solely looking out for DuPont's interests.
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to work in a corporation newly invested in by du Pont and other significant, wealthy businessmen—
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645:"John Lee Pratt Anonymous Philanthropist in Lynch's Ferry Magazine | A Journal of Lynchburg History"
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71:(as well as an adjacent bluff to the local government, which named the resulting park after him).
162:" men -- businessmen who aided adapting the U.S. economy to the war effort. He was appointed by
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and is credited with supporting the idea of holding (as opposed to selling off) what became the
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University of Virginia. In addition, there are papers relating to his interest in radio.
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in Fredericksburg, walking regularly into the city even though he could have afforded a
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pp. 9, 12, 68, 70, 71, 80 (discusses the program and role of Stettinius and his team,
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John Lee Pratt was a "quiet philanthropist" who donated 250 shares of GM stock to the
181:, in which capacity he came into contact with important leaders of his day, including
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300:. Since the 1920s, encouraged by a family acquaintance, the businessman
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University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni
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123:. At first, he was assistant to the President of the Company. Later,
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721:"Pratt Estate (Pratt, John Lee) | ArchivesSpace Public Interface"
55:, entered the ranks of American business executives in two major U.S.
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After his wife died, Pratt continued to socialize with his former
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Division of GM and encouraging the development of the coolant,
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537:"John Lee Pratt Is Dead at 96; Millionaire ExâG.M. Official"
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177:. He later continued his public service as a member of the
195:. In these capacities in Washington, D.C., Pratt also met
619:: How American Business Produced Victory in World War II,
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which were being sold by the then-new government of the
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Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park
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251:Mr. and Mrs. Pratt had been deeply involved in the
59:, and later purchased and helped preserve historic
32:John Lee Pratt, American industrialist (1879-1975)
130:In 1931, he bought "Chatham Manor," an expansive
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405:was auctioned, with the proceeds donated to the
51:. He received an engineering degree from the
39:(October 22, 1879 â December 22, 1975) was an
304:, she had accumulated a large collection of
158:During World War II, Pratt was one of many "
735:"Papers of John Lee Pratt, 1931, 1940-1972"
696:"Papers of John Lee Pratt, 1931, 1940-1972"
84:and, particularly serving with note during
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670:"Stafford County Parks and Recreation, VA"
43:industrialist born on the county line of
810:People from King George County, Virginia
488:. Internet Archive. Doubleday/Currency.
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19:For other people named John Pratt, see
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590:"The lasting impact of John Lee Pratt"
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288:died in 1947 and willed her extensive
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67:which, upon his death, he gave to the
509:Sloan, Alfred P. (January 16, 2015).
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428:remains rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in
92:plant, Pratt was selected in 1919 by
805:People from Fredericksburg, Virginia
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625:) Random House, New York, NY, 2012.
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255:in their later years and were quiet
596:from the original on March 22, 2023
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588:Barlow, Zeke (February 20, 2015).
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339:Red Cross with Imperial Portraits
142:in Stafford County, VA, opposite
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183:United States Secretary of State
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415:Washington and Lee University
512:My Years with General Motors
485:My years with General Motors
482:Alfred P. Sloan Jr. (1990).
310:Fabergé Imperial Easter Eggs
294:Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
213:Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
49:King George County, Virginia
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292:collection to the then-new
21:John Pratt (disambiguation)
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394:At the time of his death,
188:who visited Chatham to go
98:General Motors Corporation
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800:General Motors executives
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354:to raise capital for the
179:Lend-Lease Administration
111:. He was later a company
65:Stafford County, Virginia
430:Fredericksburg, Virginia
419:Johns Hopkins University
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308:jewelry, including five
282:games with his friends.
75:Education and employment
790:American businesspeople
739:researchworks.oclc.org
700:researchworks.oclc.org
623:including Pratt, p. 68
407:University of Virginia
199:(and later president)
53:University of Virginia
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543:. December 22, 1975.
458:"John Lee Pratt Park"
401:The remainder of his
342:examples, as well as
167:Franklin D. Roosevelt
69:National Park Service
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315:Revolving Miniatures
224:Pratt and his wife,
201:Dwight D. Eisenhower
175:Edward Stettinius Jr
16:American businessman
764:snaccooperative.org
649:www.lynchsferry.com
643:Quillian, William.
244:, installed by the
171:War Resources Board
154:War Resources Board
676:on August 17, 2016
541:The New York Times
409:(his alma mater),
378:as well as a free
364:Tacoma, Washington
306:Peter Carl Fabergé
298:Richmond, Virginia
234:American Civil War
186:George C. Marshall
140:Rappahannock River
109:Board of Directors
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631:978-1-4000-6964-4
495:978-0-385-04235-2
360:Lord & Taylor
230:George Washington
94:Pierre S. du Pont
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678:. Retrieved
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820:1975 deaths
815:1879 births
134:, Colonial
86:World War I
784:Categories
445:References
148:retirement
117:Frigidaire
769:March 22,
744:March 22,
705:March 22,
654:March 22,
600:March 22,
554:March 31,
549:0362-4331
467:March 31,
348:bracelets
333:Czarevich
276:chauffeur
269:childhood
594:Archived
426:cremated
246:estate's
132:Georgian
45:Stafford
41:American
396:Fortune
321:Pelican
290:jewelry
272:friends
242:gardens
226:Lillian
197:General
193:hunting
138:on the
136:mansion
88:in its
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436:Papers
403:estate
380:museum
356:Soviet
312:; the
370:Death
280:poker
121:Freon
771:2023
746:2023
707:2023
682:2015
656:2023
627:ISBN
602:2023
556:2023
545:ISSN
517:ISBN
490:ISBN
469:2023
424:His
417:and
389:YMCA
385:park
346:and
344:pins
190:duck
47:and
296:in
63:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
