Robert John Pratt
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Robert John Pratt (1907-02-28 – 2003-04-06) was a Canadian architect, comedian, and politician.
Born in London, England, his Irish mother lived in London and his father lived in Montreal. In 1933, he received a Bachelor of Architecture degree from McGill University. A practicing architect, Pratt enlisted with the Royal Canadian Hussars during World War II rising to the rank of major. In 1942, he joined the Canadian Navy so he could be a part of the Royal Canadian Navy musical revue. He performed as part of the show Meet the Navy and sung the song "You'll Get Used to It" (which he wrote the lyrics for). Pratt also performed for the 1946 film version as well.
After the war, Pratt made a series of humorous short how-to films. In 1948, he performed in a musical version of "The Drunkard" which he took on tour. During the Koren War, he entertained the soldiers and later hosted a television program called "This Is French". During Expo 67 he produced the World Festival of Performing Arts.
In 1953, he was elected as an alderman in the city of Dorval, Quebec. From 1955 to 1964, he was mayor of Dorval. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 1957 federal election in the riding Jacques-Cartier—Lasalle. A Progressive Conservative, he was re-elected in the 1958 election. He was defeated in 1962 and again in 1963, 1968, and 1974.
[edit] References
- M. J. Stone. "John Pratt: Star of wartime hit Meet the Navy", The Globe and Mail, May 5, 2003, p. R7.
- Meet the Navy at the The Canadian Encyclopedia
- Meet the Navy at the Internet Movie Database
- Synopsis of federal political experience from the Library of Parliament
| Preceded by Edgar Leduc |
Member of Parliament from Jacques-Cartier—Lasalle 1957–1962 |
Succeeded by Raymond Rock |
