Charles Pratt

Charles Pratt (2 October, 1830 - 4 May, 1891) was a United States capitalist, businessman and philanthropist. Charles Pratt, scanned from Appletons Annual Cyclopedia, 1891 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Charles Pratt, scanned from Appletons Annual Cyclopedia, 1891 This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... In economics, a capitalist is someone who owns capital, presumably within the economic system of capitalism. ... A businessman (sometimes businesswoman, female; or businessperson, gender neutral) is a generic term for a wide range of people engaged in profit-oriented enterprises, generally the management of a company. ... A philanthropist is someone who devotes his/her time, money, or effort towards helping others. ...

Pratt was a pioneer of the U.S. petroleum industry, and established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. Pratt's product later gave rise to the slogan, "The holy lamps of Tibet are primed with Astral Oil." He recruited Henry H. Rogers into his business, forming Charles Pratt and Company in 1867, which became part of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil in 1874. The oil industry is a type of industry which brings petroleum to a financial market. ... Russian kerosene lamp Kerosene or paraffin oil (British English, not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin) is a colorless flammable hydrocarbon liquid. ... Astral Oil Works was founded in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York by Charles Pratt. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ... Charles Pratt and Company was formed in Brooklyn, New York in the United States by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in 1867. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1917 painting by John Singer Sargent. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Pratt became an advocate of education, and founded and endowed the Pratt Institute which bears his name. He and his children built mansions on what became known as the Gold Coast of Long Island, New York. In 1916, Standard Oil had a steamship tanker, S.S. Charles Pratt, first of its class, built at Newport News, Virginia. The Pratt Institute is a specialized, private college in New York City with campuses in Manhattan and Brooklyn. ... This article is about Long Island in New York State. ... Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth and Norfolk, Virginia from space, July 1996 (Newport News is seen in the lower left quadrant) Newport News is an independent city located in Virginia. ...

Youth, Education

Charles Pratt was born in Watertown, Massachusetts, one of eleven children. His father, Asa Pratt, was a carpenter. Of modest means, he spent three winters as a student at Wesleyan Academy, and is said to have lived on a dollar a week at times. Seal of Watertown, MA Browne House. ...

Whale Oil, Petroleum, Astral Oil

In nearby Boston, Massachusetts, Pratt joined a company specializing in paints and whale oil products. In 1850 or 1851, he came to New York City, where he worked for a similar company. Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Official website: www. ... Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales of the genus Balaena, as , Greenland or right whale (northern whale-oil), (southern whale-oil), Balaenoptera longimana, Balaenoptera borealis (Finback oil, Finner whale-oil, Humpback oil). ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ...

Pratt was also a pioneer of the natural oil industry, and established his kerosene refinery Astral Oil Works in Brooklyn, New York. Pratt's product later gave rise to the slogan, "The holy lamps of Tibet are primed with Astral Oil." The Oil industry brings to market what is currently considered the lifeblood of nearly all other industry, if not industrialized civilization itself. ... Russian kerosene lamp Kerosene or paraffin oil (British English, not to be confused with the waxy solid also called paraffin) is a colorless flammable hydrocarbon liquid. ... Astral Oil Works was founded in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York by Charles Pratt. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ...

Henry H. Rogers, Charles Pratt and Company

In the mid 1860s, Pratt met two aspiring young men, Charles Ellis and Henry H. Rogers in the area of the new oil fields of Venago County in western Pennsylvania. Pratt had bought whale oil from Charles Ellis in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, the young men's coastal hometown. They sold the entire output of their small venture, Wamsutta Oil Refinery, at McClintocksville near Oil City to Pratt's company at a fixed price. Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ... Venango County is a county located in the state of Pennsylvania. ... Fairhaven is a town located in Bristol County, Massachusetts. ... Wamsutta Oil Refinery was established around 1861 in McClintocksville in Venango County near Oil City, Pennsylvania in the United States. ... McClintocksville, Pennsylvania was a small community in Cornplanter Township in Venango County located in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. ... Oil City is a city located in Venango County, Pennsylvania was, for many years, a center of the petroleum industry. ...

Ellis and Rogers had no wells and were dependent upon purchasing crude oil to refine and sell to Pratt. A few months later, crude oil prices suddenly increased due to manipulation by speculators. The young entrepreneurs struggled to try to live up to their contract with Pratt, but soon their surplus was wiped out. Before long, they were heavily in debt to Pratt.

Charles Ellis gave up, but in 1866, Henry Rogers went to Pratt in New York City and told him he would take personal responsibility for the entire debt. This so impressed Pratt that he immediately hired him for his own organization. In the next few year Rogers became, in the words of Elbert Hubbard, Pratt's "hands and feet and eyes and ears" (Little Journeys to the Homes of Great Businessmen, 1909). 1866 (MDCCCLXVI) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ...

Pratt made Rogers foreman of his Brooklyn refinery, with a promise of a partnership if sales ran over fifty thousand dollars a year. Rogers, his wife Abbie, and their baby Anne moved to the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. The Rogers continued to live frugally and young Henry worked very hard. Abbie brought his meals to the "works," and often he would sleep but three hours a night rolled up in a blanket by the side of a still. Rogers moved steadily from foreman to manager, and then superintendent of Pratt's Astral Oil Refinery. Pratt finally gave Rogers an interest in the business. In 1867, with Henry Rogers as a partner, he established the firm of Charles Pratt and Company. Views from Greenpoints East River waterfront of Manhattan Greenpoint is the northernmost neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. ... For other meanings, see Brooklyn (disambiguation). ... Astral Oil Works was founded in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, New York by Charles Pratt. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Charles Pratt and Company was formed in Brooklyn, New York in the United States by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in 1867. ...

Standard Oil

In the early 1870s, Pratt and Rogers became involved in conflicts with John D. Rockefeller's infamous South Improvement Company, which was basically a scheme to obtain favorable net rates from the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and other railroads through a secret system of rebates. Rockefeller and the South Improvement Company scheme outraged independent oil producers in western Pennsylvania and refineries there and afar alike. 1917 painting by John Singer Sargent. ... The South Improvement Company was a Pennsylvania corporation in 1871-1872. ... 1893 map The Pennsylvania Railroad (AAR reporting mark PRR) was an American railroad existing 1846–1968, after which it merged into Penn Central Transportation. ...

The opposition to the South Improvement Company scheme among the New York refiners was led by Rogers. The New York interests formed an association, and about the middle of March, 1872, sent a committee of three, with Rogers, of Charles Pratt and Company, as head, to Oil City to consult with the Oil Producers' Union there. Their arrival in the oil regions was a matter of great satisfaction. Working with the Pennsylvania independents, Rogers and his associates managed to forge an agreement with the PRR and other railroads whose leaders eventually agreed to open rates to all and promised to end their shady dealings with South Improvement. The oil men were most exultant, but their joy was to be short-lived, for Rockefeller had already begun forming his Standard Oil organization and was busy trying another approach, which included frequently buying-up opposing interests. 1872 (MDCCCLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Charles Pratt and Company was formed in Brooklyn, New York in the United States by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in 1867. ... Oil City is a city located in Venango County, Pennsylvania was, for many years, a center of the petroleum industry. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization. ...

A short time later, Rockefeller approached Charles Pratt with his plans of cooperation and consolidation. Pratt talked it over with Rogers, and they decided that the combination would benefit them. Rogers formulated terms which guaranteed financial security and jobs for Pratt and himself. John D. Rockefeller quietly accepted the offer on Rogers' exact terms. Charles Pratt and Company (including Astral Oil) became one of the important formerly independent refiners to join Rockefeller's organization, and it was to become part of the Standard Oil Trust in 1874. Pratt's son, Charles Millard Pratt (1858-1913) became Secretary of Standard Oil. 1917 painting by John Singer Sargent. ... Charles Pratt and Company was formed in Brooklyn, New York in the United States by Charles Pratt and Henry H. Rogers in 1867. ... Standard Oil (1870–1911) was a large, integrated, oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing organization. ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ...

Although the merger deal made him a wealthy man, as a member of the board of directors of Standard Oil, Pratt was a frequent critic of Rockefeller, who was always respectful to him. With Pratt's death in 1891, Rockefeller's position as the most powerful man in the oil industry, already well established, became unassailable.

Pratt's former protégé, Henry H. Rogers soon rose to become one of the key men of Standard Oil, and was a Vice-President by 1890. Rogers, who kept his residence in New York after moving there at Pratt's request, also invested outside of Standard Oil, and became one of the wealthiest men in the world. He had interests in oil, gas, steel, copper, coal, and railroads, and eventually founded and built the Virginian Railway at the end of his own career. Henry Huttleston Rogers (January 29, 1840 – May 19, 1909) was a United States capitalist, businessman, industrialist, financier, and philanthropist. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... The Virginian Railway (AAR reporting mark VGN) was a Class 1 railroad located in Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. ...

Heritage

Pratt Institute

Charles Pratt is credited with recognizing the growing need for trained industrial workers in a changing economy. In 1886, he founded and endowed the Pratt Institute, which opened in Brooklyn, New York in 1887. The Pratt Institute is a specialized, private college in New York City with campuses in Manhattan and Brooklyn. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Long Island Gold Coast mansions

Pratt settled in Glen Cove, Long Island, New York about 1890. In an effort to keep his family near him, he purchased large tracts of land surrounding his estate, totaling 1,100 acres (4.5 km²). However, he died the next year, 1891, in New York City. Glen Cove is a city located in Nassau County, New York. ... 1890 (MDCCCXC) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar). ... 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Nickname: The Big Apple Official website: City of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area Total 468. ...

At Glen Cove, on Long Island, Charles Pratt's six sons and two daughters later built their homes. In 2004, most of the extant Pratt mansions along the Gold Coast there are still in use:

• Welwyn, originally the home of Harold I. Pratt, is now owned by the Nassau County Museum.
• The Braes, originally owned by Herbert L. Pratt, is now the Webb Institute of Naval Architecture.
• The Manor House, built for John Teale Pratt, is now Harrison House Conference Center.
• Poplar Hill, the Frederick B. Pratt house, is now owned by Glengariff Nursing Home.
• Killenworth, originally the house of George D. Pratt, is now the retreat for the Soviet Delegation to the United Nations.

• Charles Pratt's great-grandson Andy Pratt (Born 1947 in Cambridge, Massachussetts), whose father Edwin was headmaster of the patrician school Buckingham Browne & Nichols, is a highly original singer-songwriter, based in Boston.

• Herbert Pratt was a guitar-playing adventurer and eccentric much admired by Henry James, who met him in Italy.

Steamship tanker S.S. Charles Pratt

In March, 1916, Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company launched the S.S. Charles Pratt, a tanker of 8,807 tons with a capacity of 119,410 barrels of oil. It became the first ship of the Pratt class, and was joined by the S.S. H.H. Rogers in May, 1916. Look up March in Wiktionary, the free dictionary March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 - The Royal Army Medical Corps first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... Northrop Grumman Newport News, formerly called Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (NNS), is the largest privately owned shipyard in the United States and the only one that can build Nimitz-class supercarriers. ...

After 1939, both ships were operated by Panama Transport Co., a subsidiary of Standard Oil of New Jersey At the beginning of World War II, on December 21, 1940, the S.S. Charles Pratt was torpedoed and sunk by a German u-boat in the Indian Ocean 220 miles off the coast of Africa while en route from Aruba to Freeport, Sierra Leone. Of the American crew of 42, 2 lives were lost and 40 saved. 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), headquartered in Irving, Texas, is an oil producer and distributor formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8 million Civilian dead: 4 million Total dead: 12 million World War II... December 21 is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... A satellite composite image of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia. ...

References

• Elbert Hubbard, 1909, Little Journeys to the Homes
• Tarbell, Ida M. 1904, The History of Standard Oil

• History of Glen Cove, Long Island
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) website, Pratt Institute page
• Pratt Institute official website, History page

See also

• Henry H. Rogers
• Standard Oil
• Pratt Institute
• Ida M. Tarbell