An Illustrated History of the State of Washington, by Rev. H.K. Hines, D.D., The Lewis Publishing Co., Chicago, IL., 1893, pages 295-296 JOHN W. PRATT is one of the best known men in the State of Washington, among those who have never sought for or held office. He was born in Inveresk, Scotland, his father being the friend and counsellor of Kossuth, the Hungarian patriot, and of Garibaldi, and later the apparently eccentric but trusted friend of the unfortunate Napoleon III. His mother, Margaret McCosh, was a sister of Lady Mary Osborne, whose romantic attachment for the late Baron Elphinstone led to his retirement from court for some years, and formed one of the tribulations of the girl-life of the young princess, who afterward ascended a throne. The subject of this sketch, after reading law in London, secured by inheritance a sum sufficient to enable him to indulge his taste for travel. After wandering through the less frequented parts of western Europe, he went to Africa, where he spent some time at the diamond fields of Criqualano West and the gold fields of the Transvaal. He took up an ostrich farm, but his birds were killed and dispersed by the Kaffirs during the last uprising. He entered the cavalry service as a volunteer. While thus engaged, his comrades were surrounded, and after four men had been killed in an unsuccessful effort to break through the Kaffirs concealed in the cactus bush or Bosjeland, he offered to make the attempt, and succeeded in reaching reinforcements with the news of the beleaguered camp, after a daring ride of eighty miles. For this service he was afterward appointed British Commissioner and Resident Magistrate. He returned to England to recruit his health, and was sent out on an expedition to Mozambique by a British commercial syndicate. The troubles with Portugal involved all concerned, and he then came to the United States. Here he has been chiefly engaged in the newspaper business, but made no effort to check his taste for wandering, until, after having visited most of the States, he reached California, where he contracted a happy marriage and settled down. Visiting Seattle immediately after the fire in 1889, he concluded to locate there, and is now well established in the practice of law. While in California he was appointed by the Governor a Trustee of the State Normal School. Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in September 2003 by Jeffrey L. Elmer * * * * Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured in the biographies.