The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07.
Pratt, Orson
181181, Mormon apostle, b. Hartford, N.Y.; brother of Parley Parker Pratt. He joined (1830) the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became (1835) an apostle. An eloquent speaker, he was a successful missionary in England and elsewhere; in Utah, where he was (1847) one of the first immigrants, he was long an influential member of the assembly. Pratt also taught at the Univ. of Deseret (now the Univ. of Utah). He wrote books on mathematics as well as on the Mormon church.