[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 27 (Monday, February 22, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1739-S1740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TRIBUTE TO THE SOUTHERN INDUSTRIALIST DANIEL PRATT

 Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Daniel Pratt, a distinguished Southern Industrialist and founder of the 
city of Prattville, Alabama. A man whose vision guided the state on a 
course of industrialization and modernization. As a celebration of 
Daniel Pratt's 200th birthday, 1999 has been named the ``Year of 
Industry'' in Alabama. This is a significant tribute to honor a very 
important figure in the history of Alabama. Daniel Pratt's legacy not 
only includes the beginning of modern industry to the state, but also 
philanthropic deeds that were unrivaled for his era. Daniel Pratt's 
indomitable pioneer spirit serves as an inspiration to others who have 
faced adversity and conquered the unknown.
  Born in 1799, Daniel Pratt was raised in Temple, New Hampshire. 
Brought up as a Congregationalist in a traditional Puritan family, 
Daniel Pratt grew up disciplined, structured, and religious. He 
received only a limited education, but took advantage of an opportunity 
to apprentice under a family friend, who was an architect and a 
builder. This new focus in his life helped to channel his natural 
inclination towards machinery and building. After his mother's death in 
1817, Daniel Pratt acted on his ambitions and set out for the South, 
which he regarded as a land of opportunity. Daniel Pratt's formative 
years instilled in him a strong work ethic and religious convictions, 
along with a sense of compassion. These two attributes would help to 
guide him through difficult decisions throughout his life.
  After sailing to Savannah, Georgia, Daniel Pratt did not immediately 
become a rich entrepreneur. Initially, he put the tools of his 
apprenticeship to work as a builder and planner for wealthy planters. 
After a few years, he moved onto ship building, adding to his 
burgeoning knowledge of construction and the industrial process. Daniel 
Pratt was willing to take the long road to success. He realized that 
the only way to succeed in life was through hard work and gritty 
determination. He also had the common sense to learn from others, which 
paid off when he befriended Samuel Griswold, who was a prominent cotton 
gin manufacturer in the area. Through friendship as well as a business 
relationship, Daniel Pratt learned the trade which would ultimately 
thrust him into the forefront of Southern industrialization. Daniel 
Pratt proved to be so adept at the manufacture and sale of cotton gins, 
that he became a partner in the enterprise within a year. At this point 
in his life, Daniel Pratt's unbridled vision was able to manifest 
itself in his actions. He saw that the expansion of the cotton gin into 
the West was a fantastic opportunity for his new enterprise. He 
realized that the center of distribution in the South would revolve 
around the great river systems which offered the advantage of water as 
a cheap source of power. Pratt had planned to stay in business with his 
partner, but with Indian uprisings in the Alabama area, his partner 
became apprehensive. This did not deter Daniel Pratt in the slightest. 
As his first biographer, Shadrack Mims wrote: ``The indomitable will of 
Daniel Pratt, that spirit of enterprise which characterized him through 
life, was not to be daunted nor discouraged by Indian uprisings. He 
purchased material for fifty gins, put the same on wagons, and in 1833, 
he with his brave wife headed for Alabama.''
  Daniel Pratt rapidly met the success he foresaw in his move to 
Alabama. He found quick sales among the planters of the Alabama Black 
Belt. He established a temporary site for his factory along Autauga 
Creek and immediately began to expand his operations. Within a period 
of five years, it was evident that he needed a larger area for a 
permanent site. He chose to settle on a marshy, heavily wooded piece of 
land only three miles from his original site. In only ten years, he 
turned this hostile area into a thriving manufacturing village of eight 
hundred people. This is the site that would eventually form the booming 
industrial town of Prattville.
  Initially, the Gin Factory was the corner stone of the economy in the 
new settlement. But as business grew, Daniel Pratt reinvested the 
profits into new industries in the town. By the 1850's, Prattville, for 
its size, furnished the most diverse industrial pattern in the United 
States. In addition, the Pratt Gin Company became the largest gin 
factory in the world, with unrivaled quality in construction. Daniel 
Pratt's business was so successful, that he began to invest money in 
the state infrastructure. He presided over railroad conventions and 
sparked Southern railroad growth with his generous infusion of capital.
  Daniel Pratt also used his good fortune to invest in the Red Mountain 
Iron and Coal Company, and he controlled the Oxmoor iron furnaces in 
the Birmingham Industrial district. In his honor, the great vein of 
coal west of Birmingham was named the Pratt Vein, and Pratt City was 
later incorporated into the town of Birmingham. These furnaces were 
destroyed by Wilson's Raiders during the Civil War, but Daniel Pratt 
was determined to rebuild them. With the help of his son-in-law, Henry 
Debardeleban, he did just that, and by 1873, they were back in 
operation. The name was changed to the Eureka Mining Company, and the 
towns of Birmingham and Bessemer began to thrive. Daniel Pratt is 
credited with being one of the driving forces behind the development of 
that entire area of the state.
  In 1847, the University of Alabama awarded him the degree of Master 
of Mechanical and Useful Arts, the only one of it's kind the University 
has ever given. Pratt also served as a distinguished member of the 
Alabama House of Representatives throughout the duration of the Civil 
War.
  However, it was Daniel Pratt's philanthropic deeds which set him 
apart from other industrialists of his time. Pratt built schools and 
churches for workers in his textile mill with his own money. His 
boundless paternalism towards his workers led him to teach in 
Prattville's Sunday Schools. It was his sincere desire to better both 
the town of Prattville as well as the entire South through his 
relentless efforts to preach the industrial gospel. He wrote numerous 
letters and articles professing his industrialist beliefs, which were 
published in southern newspapers and periodicals across the area.

[[Page S1740]]

  Although born 200 years ago, Daniel Pratt serves as a shining example 
of a pioneer spirit which transformed the South into a thriving 
industrial center. His leadership, vision, courage, and generosity is 
an inspiration to everyone.

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