Memorable Manitobans: Reginald Henry Murray Pratt (1854-1925)

Entrepreneur.

Born at Suffolk, England in 1854, he attended Eton before emigrating to Canada in 1875. He came to Portage la Prairie in the 1870s, later bringing his brother Walter Pratt with him. They operated a steamboat on the Assiniboine River between Winnipeg and Portage. He operated the Pratt Opera House, and was a member of the Nile Expedition under Garnet Wolseley.

He was married to Jemima Maria “Nellie” George (1864-1938, daughter of Rev. H. George) and they had five sons: Horace Reginald Pratt (1888-?), Cecil Arden Pratt (1889-?), Alwyn Pratt (1892-?), Gerald Henry Pratt (1895-1965), and Bernard Edward Pratt (1904-?). He held many positions in the Portage government, including water commissioner and alderman for several years. At the time of his death, he was manager for the Portage Mutual Insurance Company and also represented several other companies.

He died at Portage la Prairie on 29 April 1925 and was buried in the Portage Hillside Cemetery.

Sources:

Birth registrations [Horace Reginald Pratt, Cecil Arden Pratt, Gerald Henry Pratt, Bernard Edward Pratt], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Death registrations [Reginald Henry Murray Pratt, Jemina Maria Pratt], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“R. H. M. Pratt, Portage, dies after operation,” Manitoba Free Press, 29 April 1925. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B8]

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 8 September 2023

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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