Richardson Pratt Jr (March 25, 1923 - May 1, 2001) was an American businessman and educational administrator, president of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1972 to 1990, and chairman of Charles Pratt & Company.

Early life

Richardson Pratt Jr was born on March 25, 1923, and grew up in Brooklyn and Glen Cove, New York. ^[1] He was the son of Richardson Pratt (1894-1959) and his wife, Laura Cecilia Parsons, and the grandson of Charles Millard Pratt. He was a great-grandson of the founder of the Pratt Institute, Charles Pratt. ^[1]

He was educated at the Choate School and earned a bachelor's degree from Williams College in 1946, and a master's degree from the Harvard Business School in 1948. ^[1]

Career

He was president of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn from 1972 to 1990, and chairman of Charles Pratt & Company. ^[1]

Personal life

In 1944, Pratt married Mary Esterbrook Offutt, the daughter of Mr and Mrs Caspar Yost Offutt, a former diplomat, in Omaha, Nebraska. ^[2] Her uncle was the aviator Jarvis Offutt. She was educated at Shipley School and Vassar College. ^{[2] [3]}

They had three children, Laura P. Gregg of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Thomas R. Pratt of Coconut Grove, Florida, and David O. Pratt of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. ^[1]

Pratt died from pancreatic cancer on May 1, 2001, at his home in Cold Spring Harbor, New York, aged 78. ^[1]

References