Abner Pratt (May 22, 1801 – March 27, 1863) was an American lawyer, politician, diplomat, and jurist. Born in Springfield,

Otsego County, New York Otsego County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,524. The county seat is Cooperstown. The county's population center is Oneonta. The name ''Otsego'' is from a Mohawk or Oneida word m ...

, Pratt studied law and was admitted to the New York bar. Pratt served as district attorney in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

. In 1839, Pratt moved to

Marshall, Michigan Marshall is a city and the county seat of Calhoun County, Michigan. The population was 6,822 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Marshall is best known for its cross-section of 19th- and early 20th-century architecture and as the futu ...

and continued to practice law. In 1844 and 1845, Pratt served in the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Constitution of Michigan, Mi ...

. From 1850 until 1857, Pratt served on the

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the s ...

and served as chief justice of the court. In 1857, President

James Buchanan James Buchanan Jr. ( ; April 23, 1791June 1, 1868) was the 15th president of the United States, serving from 1857 to 1861. He also served as the United States Secretary of State, secretary of state from 1845 to 1849 and represented Pennsylvan ...

appointed Pratt consul to the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ɛ ɐwˈpuni həˈvɐjʔi, was an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country from 1795 to 1893, which eventually encompassed all of the inhabited Hawaii ...

serving until 1862. Pratt returned to Marshall, Michigan and built his home Honolulu House. In 1863, Pratt served in the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

and served as mayor of Marshall, Michigan. Pratt died in Marshall, Michigan in 1863.'Deaths-Hon. Abner Pratt,' Burlington Daily Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa), April 3, 1863

Notes

External links

Marshall, Michigan-Honolulu House
1801 births 1863 deaths People from Springfield, New York People from Marshall, Michigan Michigan lawyers New York (state) lawyers Consuls for the United States 19th-century American diplomats Mayors of places in Michigan Chief justices of the Michigan Supreme Court Michigan state senators Members of the Michigan House of Representatives 19th-century Michigan state court judges 19th-century American lawyers Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court 19th-century members of the Michigan Legislature {{Michigan-MISenate-stub