Roddy Bruce Pratt

PRATT, RODERICK BRUCE, farmer and salesperson; b. 21 January 1927 in St. Peters, son of Chester Charles Pratt and Olive Blanche Anderson; m. 23 November 1949 Mary Irene Matheson, and they had five children, Halbert, Barbara Jean, Malcolm, Janet, and Roderick; United; d. 19 September 2001 in Charlottetown. Pratt, a Conservative, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1978 for 2nd Kings. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1979, 1982, and 1986. On 17 November 1981, Pratt became Minister of Highways and Public Works and served in this position until 3 November 1983, the same date he was appointed Minister of Fisheries and Labour. He served in that Ministry until 1986. He was a member of the Treasury Board. During his time in the Legislature, "Roddy" Pratt was known as an outspoken advocate for his constituents and for causes he felt important. At one point, he launched a one-person filibuster to protest the government's funding of The Island Nature Trust. In 1984 Pratt was a representative of the Canadian government at the funeral of Indira Gandhi in India. As Minister of Fisheries, he oversaw an expansion in the fishing industry and was supportive of the Island lobster processing industry. Pratt obtained 16 crab industry licenses for the province from the federal government and cited this as a personal highlight of his career. Pratt received his early education in St. Peters. Later he attended Fredericton High School and the Union Commercial College. Pratt operated a family farm in St. Peters, where first he raised beef, and, in 1970, he grew potatoes. He was also a farm supply salesperson and the crop manager at Dundas Farms. Pratt was president of the Potato Producers Association and a member of the Federation of Agriculture. He had a keen interest in educational matters and served as a trustee of the St. Peters School and as a member of the building committee for area schools. Pratt was a member of the St. Peters Lions Club and served as its president. He was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion and St. Peters United Church. Roddy Pratt died on 19 September 2001 at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown. Mary Pratt, the daughter of Clifton and Jean Matheson, was born on 2 February 1928. Clifton Matheson was a station agent and the family lived in many Island communities, including Freetown and Hunter River. Mary and Roddie Pratt celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in the fall of 1999.