Eugene E. Pratt Explained

Eugene E. Pratt (c. 1892 – August 28, 1970)^[1] was a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1939 to 1951, and was chief justice from 1949 to 1951.^[2]

Pratt received his undergraduate degree from the University of Utah, and his law degree from Stanford University.^[1]

From 1929 to 1937, Pratt served as a trial court judge in Ogden, Utah.^[3]

On January 3, 1939, Governor Henry H. Blood appointed Pratt to a seat on the state supreme court vacated by the resignation of Justice Ephraim Hanson, due to poor health.^[4] Among Pratt's law clerks was M. Blaine Peterson, who later served in the United States House of Representatives.^[5] Pratt served on the court until 1951, when he failed to regain the Democratic nomination.^[6]

Pratt died of natural causes in Miami, Florida, at the age of 78.^[1]

Notes and References

1. "Former Utah Justice Dies", The Ogden Standard-Examiner (August 30, 1970), p. 11.
2. Stephen W. Julien, "The Utah State Supreme Court and Its Justices, 1896-1976", 44 Utah Hist. Q. 267, 280-82 (1976).
3. Web site: Utah Circuit and District Court Judges - Territorial and Statehood. Utah Courts. May 24, 2024.
4. "Pratt Named to Supreme Court", The Provo Daily Herald (January 3, 1939), p. 1.
5. Web site: PETERSON, Morris Blaine. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. May 24, 2024.
6. "Justice to Take Seat Tomorrow", The Ogden Standard-Examiner (January 1, 1951), p. 3.