Michel Pratt

Michel Pratt (born in 1949) is a Québec historian, publisher, toponymist and screenwriter, specializing in the history of Montreal’s South Shore and aviation history. He wrote the official history of three cities: Longueuil, Brossard and LeMoyne and the Dictionnaire historique de Longueuil. Although he is also known for his books on the history of aviation, Longueuil 1657–2007 is his most recognized work. Since 2017, he has become a novelist and, since February 2020, he has been the editor-in-chief of the magazine Mémoires, of the Société généalogique canadienne-française.

He helped commemorate former Québec Prime Minister René Lévesque by being the instigator, on behalf of the Société historique et culturelle du Marigot, of the attribution of the René-Lévesque highway name for a section of route 132.

His work on the R-100 and R-101 airships has been translated into English and sold worldwide.

After obtaining his French bachelor’s degree with honors, he received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in history from the Université du Québec in Montreal; he also studied political science, cinema, industrial relations and law at university.

Michel Pratt began his career teaching history at the Université du Québec à Montréal, the Université de Montréal, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and the Université de Sherbrooke. He later taught political science at the Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe, where he was president of the Teachers’ Union. He ended his career at the Collège de Maisonneuve, where he was the coordinator of the department of history and geography.

A cultural vulgarizer, Michel Pratt has given several lectures, including at various national conferences, municipal libraries, cultural organizations, and both primary and secondary schools and for the Université du Troisième âge (UTA), which is part of the Université de Sherbrooke.

He has appeared on television programs such as Radio-Canada.

For about fifteen years, he led many guided tours of Vieux-Longueuil. In 1997, the weekly Le Courrier du Sud asked him, as part of its 50th anniversary, to publish a few chronicles on the history of the territory served by the newspaper. Michel Pratt wrote over 300 chronicles.

In 2014–2015, he was a columnist-historian on the monthly program Mémoires, hosted by novelist Arlette Cousture, at CIRA-FM (or Radio RV).

From 1999 to 2002, he was the president of the Association des auteurs de la Montérégie and, under his presidency, this organization found its first local and could count on a secretariat. This was also under his presidency that was founded the Festival de littérature de la Montérégie; he was also the principal responsible for organizing the Grand Prix du Livre de la Montérégie from 2000 to 2002.

Michel Pratt has gained notoriety in local and regional history by holding important positions in local, regional or national organizations.

From 1999 to 2019, he was the general secretary of the board of directors of the Fédération Histoire Québec.

Convinced of the relevance of regional groupings, in 2008 he set up the Montérégie History Societies’ Consultation Table and was its co-president until 2014.

His leadership came when he was president of the 2000 and 2010 Organizing Committee of the Fédération Histoire Québec; he delivered the inaugural lectures of these two national congresses. He was a member of the Organizing Committee of the 2011 Congress on French America held at the Palais du Congrès, and in fall 2014, 1914–1918, Quebec Goes to War, held at the Royal Military College of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu. In 2016, he was co-director of the FHQ Congress in the Richelieu Valley.

Between 2012 and 2019, he has sat on the committee of commemoration, genealogy and toponymy of the Commission franco-québécoise des lieux de mémoires communs as a representative of the Federation Histoire Québec.

From 2002 to 2019, Michel Pratt was the founding president of Les Éditions Histoire Québec (2002), a member of ANEL, the not-for-profit publishing house was financially supported by Fédération Histoire Québec (comprising 290 organizations); the publishing house is responsible for the publication of books belonging to the members of the federation (which contains a catalogue of over 120 titles) and history magazine Histoire Québec (a member of SODEP). The publishing house operates cooperatively concerning the book component. In 2019, he left the presidency after contributing to the influence of Quebec’s local and regional history.

Although his university education focused on the history of international relations and his employment the history of the United States, Michel Pratt concentrated an important part of his research on the history of Montreal’s South Shore. His cousin Guy Pratt, the son of the mayor of Longueuil from 1935 to 1966, Paul Pratt, granted him many municipal archives that belonged to his father; his enthusiasm for local and regional history began at that time.

He confided to the novelist Louise Chevrier:

“Local and regional history is neglected, it is the case for academics,” says Pratt. “ I am not afraid to say that. I come from this milieu that is just beginning to take an interest in local history. But if academics are not interested, the people in the community fill that void. Nothing can support the passion of people in a region, even if they do not have a research grant.”

From 1998 to 2015, he was CEO of the Société historique et culturelle du Marigot. His office was in a heritage building owned by the Ville de Longueuil.

Under his leadership, many projects have emerged, such as the installation of nearly thirty educational or commemorative plaques. A pioneer, he created the Société historique et culturelle du Marigot’s website in 1996 and contributed to its effervescence until 2015. The development of a park on Chambly Road, including a memorial to Charles Le Moyne, a didactic plaque describing the steps of the monument’s construction, and a bronze plaque in honour of the Le Moyne family, offered by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, are part of his initiative even though Annette Laramée started the project of the monument. He was the instigator of the name of the Îlot de la Baronnie (in the St. Lawrence River) and, as president of the Association des auteurs de la Montérégie, Georges-Dor Street, in Longueuil. He took part in the name of the Port de Plaisance Réal-Bouvier, in Longueuil. He was an advisor for the naming of buildings and electoral districts. He has been a member of the City of Longueuil’s Toponymy Committee since its founding in 2010 and has contributed to the appointment of streets and parks in that city.

Under his chairmanship and leadership, the Société historique et culturelle du Marigot has been successful in obtaining important archival funds, including photos: approximately 25,000 from Sun Media and 115,000 from the international collection of the late CBC radio director André Hurtubise and over 250,000 digitized postcards. Over 4,000 maps were added under his mandate.

Michel Pratt has published a historical atlas, a historical dictionary, four city histories, two biographies and publications on specific elements of heritage, the history of the labour movement, aviation, a chamber of commerce, a symphony orchestra, a parish, a district and a major genealogy firm.

His first work results from his master’s thesis directed by Robert Comeau and Paul-André Linteau. As the United Aircraft strike was recent, Michel Pratt had to convince the history department of the relevance of the immediate story and its innovative aspect. The Quebec left highly prized his work.

La grève de la United Aircraft, Presses de l'Université du Québec, 1980.

Longueuil du temps du maire Pratt, 1894-1967, Société historique du Marigot, 1993.

Jacques-Cartier : une ville de pionniers, 1947-1969, Société historique du Marigot, 1994.

Dictionnaire historique de Longueuil, de Jacques-Cartier et de Montréal-Sud, Société historique du Marigot, 1995.

Marcel Robidas, le maire visionnaire de Longueuil, Société historique du Marigot, 1998. (ISBN 2-922462-02-1)

Histoire de la ville de LeMoyne, 1949-1999, Société historique du Marigot, 1999. (ISBN 2-922462-05-6)

Le Parti municipal de Longueuil : histoire d'une équipe gagnante, 1978-2001, Société historique du Marigot, 2001. (ISBN 2-920313-48-7)

Atlas historique : Boucherville, Brossard, Greenfield Park, LeMoyne, Longueuil, Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Saint-Hubert, Saint-Lambert, Société historique du Marigot, 2001. (ISBN 2-920313-43-6)

Les dirigeables R100 et R101 : le succès du voyage du R-100 au Québec et la tragédie du R-101 en France, Montréal, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2003. (ISBN 2-89586-008-4)

Airships R-100 and R-101 : the success of the R-100's trip to Canada and the tragedy of the R-101 in France, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2006. (ISBN 2-89586-027-0)

Longueuil 1657-2007, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2007, 500 p. (ISBN 978-2-89586-032-7)

Brossard, 1958-2008 : un pont entre hier et demain, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2008, 212 p. (ISBN 978-2-89586-043-3)

Orchestre symphonique de Longueuil : son histoire de 1986 à aujourd'hui, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2008, 111 p. (ISBN 978-2-89586-039-6)

De la paroisse Saint-Georges à la paroisse Le Bon Pasteur. 100 ans de présence de l'Église, (coauteur), Éditions Histoire Québec, 2008. (ISBN 978-2-89586-041-9)

Circuit patrimonial du chemin de Chambly. Ville de Longueuil, 2008.

Quartier Bellerive - 1959-2009, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2009. (ISBN 978-2-89586-048-8)

La Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de la Rive-Sud 1959-2009, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2009. (ISBN 978-2-89586-049-5)

L'Institut généalogique Drouin, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2010. (ISBN 978-2-89586-059-4)

Site du patrimoine de Longueuil (director), Éditions Histoire Québec, 2010.

Le 438e Escadron 1934-2009, (coauteur), Éditions Histoire Québec, 2010, 158 p. (ISBN 978-2-89586-050-1)

Dictionnaire historique de Longueuil, with a multimedia DVD, Éditions Histoire Québec, 2012, 576 p. (ISBN 978-289586-070-9)

Pôle Roland-Therrien et secteurs de proximité. Évolution historique. Ville de Longueuil, 2013.

Italo Balbo : la traversée atlantique. Éditions Histoire Québec, collection Fédération Histoire Québec, 2014. (ISBN 978-289586-085-3)

Historique de la Place Charles-Le Moyne. Site web de la Ville de Longueuil, 2016.

La jeune Parisienne de Coteau Rouge. Novel, 2017.