page_title: Zadock Pratt
section_title: Military and second, third, and fourth wives
hierarchical_section_title: Zadock Pratt / Early life and family / Military and second, third, and fourth wives
caption_attribution_description: English: Colonel George Watson Pratt, 20th New York State Militia. He was the son of Zadock Pratt, was mortally wounded August 30, 1862 at the Second Battle of Bull Run, and died September 11, 1862.
context_page_description: Zadock Pratt Jr. was a tanner, banker, soldier, and member of the United States House of Representatives. Pratt served in the New York militia from 1819–1826, and was Colonel of the 116th regiment from 1822 until his resignation from the militia on September 4, 1826.
  In the Catskill Mountains, Pratt built the largest tannery in the world at its time, and built the town of Prattsville to accommodate the labor force necessary for the tannery, raising the town's population from around 500 to over 2000. Pratt was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1836 and 1842. During his second term, in 1845 he first proposed the transcontinental railroad. In 1848, Pratt tried but failed to receive the Democratic/Hunker nomination for the 1848 New York state gubernatorial election. He was a delegate to the 1852 Democratic National Convention.
  In 1843, Pratt established the Prattsville Bank with, which printed its own bills that were kept on par with the US dollar, but he closed the bank nine years later in 1852. Pratt financed multiple smaller tanneries in the Catskills, and also one in Pennsylvania as a joint venture with Jay Gould.
context_section_description: On April 25, 1820, Pratt was chosen as Captain of the Fifth regiment of New York State Artillery, which consisted of 130 men. Acquired a cannon that had been used at the Battle of Plattsburgh for the regiment.
  On July 12, 1822, he became a Colonel for New York's 116th Infantry.
  1825, commanded the escort of Lafayette into Catskill.
  On October 12, 1827, Pratt married his third wife, Abagail P. Watson of Rensselaer, and their son was State Senator George W. Pratt (1830–1862).
  In 1828, his house was built.
  November 20, 1832, applied to the State Legislature to divide Windham, and on March 8, 1833, Prattsville was divided off from Windham. At the time it had a population of around 1500.
  On January 26, 1834, Pratt's second daughter Abigail was born.Pratt's wife died 10 days later on February 5, aged 26.
  On March 16, 1835, Pratt married his fourth wife, Mary E. Watson, sister of his third wife.
  On July 17, 1868, Mary Pratt died in Providence, New York.
  1836, elected to New York's 8th District, and in the same election, was voted to be and elector for New York.
  1839, Westkill Lexington tannery burnt. Lost $10,000, insured for $7,000.
  Offered to endow Prattsville Academy with $5,000 if the sum was matched by a Christian church.
  In 1842, was elected to New York's 11th District.
  1842, Established newspaper Prattsville Advocate, of which J. L. Hackstaff was the editor. In the same year, the Prattsville Academy was built. The land was donated by Pratt, and he provided half of the building costs.
  1848, received and honorary Master of the Arts degree from Union College.
  1852, elected as a delegate to the 1852 Democratic Convention.
caption: Zadock's first son George W. Pratt died of wounds suffered in the Second Battle of Bull Run.
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