Orville C. Pratt

Orville C. Pratt
Orville C. Pratt
2nd Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
In office
1848–1852
Appointed by James K. Polk
Preceded by new position
Succeeded by George Henry Williams
Personal details
Born April 24, 1819
Ontario County, New York
Died October 1891 (aged 72)
San Francisco, California

Orville C. Pratt (April 24, 1819-October 1891) was an American jurist and attorney. He served as the 2nd Associate Justice on the Oregon Supreme Court serving from 1848 to 1852. He wrote the lone dissenting opinion in the controversy over the Oregon Territory’s capital between Oregon City and Salem.

Contents

Early life

Pratt was born on April 24, 1819 in Ontario County, New York.[1] In New York he attended the Army Academy at West Point from 1837 to 1839.[1] He then studied law in Rochester, New York, earning admission to the state bar in 1841. Pratt then moved to Galena, Illinois and set up practice in 1843.[2]

Oregon

In 1849, Pratt moved to Oregon to assume the position of judge on the Oregon Supreme Court.[1] When he arrived he was the lone justice, so he exercised all of the judiciary’s powers from April 1849 until William Strong arrived 18 months later.[3] Pratt was appointed to the position by President Polk. Then in 1852 when Franklin Pierce became President Pratt was removed as judge, and when he was nominated to become chief justice of the Oregon court Stephen A. Douglas opposed the nomination and Pratt lost the nomination to George Henry Williams.[3]

While in office Pratt was controversial. He was known for traveling outside of the territory for his own personal gain, and took every opportunity to advance his personal, business, and political goals.[3] During the dispute over the location of the capital in the territory, he took the minority position of choosing Salem, ultimately Congress would decide the matter in Salem’s favor in 1852.[1][3] After leaving the court he was a judge of admiralty in Portland, Oregon in 1855 to 1856. He also practiced law with Alexander Campbell after failing to receiving a political office.[4] Pratt then tried to get the money from the Ewing Young estate, but ultimately the Oregon Territorial Legislature and the Oregon Supreme Court denied the payment of the funds.[4]

Later years

In 1856, Pratt moved returned to San Francisco. There he owned the 18-square-mile (47 km2) Rancho Aguas Frias and had a fortune estimated at over $1 million.[2] In California, Pratt practiced law in a partnership with Alex Campbell before being elected as judge of the twelfth judicial district.[5] He was divorced in 1877, losing $750,000 in the divorce settlement.[2] His wife had discovered Pratt was having an affair, and in order to avoid prosecution for adultery he agreed to the large divorce settlement.[4] He then married his former mistress. Later in New York he was involved in a gambling issue where he refused to testify due to self incrimination issues.[2] In 1886, the University of Oregon granted Pratt an honorary doctor of laws degree.[2] Orville C. Pratt died in San Francisco in October 1891.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Corning, Howard M. Dictionary of Oregon History. Binfords & Mort Publishing, 1956.
  2. ^ a b c d e Terry, John. Oregon's Trails - Oregon's first judge left record that was often injudicious. The Oregonian, December 10, 2006.
  3. ^ a b c d Clatsop County District Court Judges. Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved January 14, 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Lansing, Ronald B. 2005. Nimrod: Courts, Claims, and Killing on the Oregon Frontier. Pullman: Washington State University Press. p. 261.
  5. ^ Bancroft, Hubert Howe. 1885. History of California. The works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, v. 18-24. San Francisco, Calif: History Co., publishers. p. 223-4

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Orville — (literally, French for City of Gold ) may refer to: Contents 1 People 2 Places 3 Fiction …   Wikipedia

  • Reuben P. Boise — Infobox Officeholder name = Reuben Patrick Boise imagesize = 175px caption = office2 = 5th Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court term2 = 1864 ndash; 1866 1870 ndash; 1872 1876 ndash; 1878 nominator2 = appointer2 = predecessor2 = Aaron E. Wait …   Wikipedia

  • William W. Chapman — Infobox Politician name = William Williams Chapman imagesize = 175px caption = W. W. Chapman office = Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa s At large congressional district termstart = September 10, 1838 termend = October 27,… …   Wikipedia

  • Whitman massacre — The Whitman massacre (also known as the Walla Walla massacre and the Whitman Incident) was the murder in the Oregon Country on November 29, 1847 of U.S. missionaries Dr. Marcus Whitman and his wife Narcissa Whitman, along with thirteen others.… …   Wikipedia

  • Kintzing Prichette — (1800 ????) was a U.S. political figure. He was primarily a political appointee within the federal government s various departments, which at the time included U.S. Territories. He is most known as the last Secretary of the Michigan Territory… …   Wikipedia

  • Oregon State Capitol — U.S. National Register of Historic Places …   Wikipedia

  • Matthew Deady — Judge for the United States District Court for the District of Oregon In office March 9, 1859 – March 24, 1893 Nominated by …   Wikipedia

  • Alonzo A. Skinner — Infobox Judge name = Alonzo A. Skinner imagesize = caption = office = 16th Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court termstart = 1866 termend = 1867 nominator = appointer = George Lemuel Woods predecessor = Riley E. Stratton successor = John… …   Wikipedia

  • Bahamas, The — officially Commonwealth of The Bahamas Archipelago and nation consisting of about 700 islands and numerous cays, northwestern edge of the West Indies, lying southeast of Florida and north of Cuba. Area: 5,386 sq mi (13,950 sq km). Population… …   Universalium

  • flight, history of — ▪ aviation Introduction  development of heavier than air flying machines. Important landmarks and events along the way to the invention of the airplane include an understanding of the dynamic reaction of lifting surfaces (or wings), building… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”