Paul A. Haley had Police Chief Roland E. Mansfield eject Pratt from a town meeting and lock him in the Town Clerk's office until the meeting ended. Haley had Pratt removed after Haley determined that Pratt, who was not a town meeting member, was out of order for suggesting a town meeting member support an article. Pratt eventually agreed to sit down, but after a few seconds demanded to be heard on a point of parliamentary procedure and was then ejected. Pratt was elected to Town Meeting in the next election and on December 13, 1955, he was elected Town Moderator with 23 votes to William H. Robinson's 19. On April 25, 1960, Pratt attempted to eject Augustine Gannon following a controversial vote. However, before a police officer could reach Gannon, all 35 present town meeting members walked out. General Court In 1926, Pratt was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He defeated Harriet Russell Hart, the third woman ever elected to the Massachusetts General Court. Pratt served from 1927 to 1935. Shortly after taking office he filed a bill to abolish capital punishment. He would file a similar bill at the beginning of each session he served. Despite being a Republican, he supported president Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and represented the National Shoe Workers during their 1933 strike. He was a member of the Banks and Banking and Counties commissions. During Pratt's tenure in the Massachusetts House, each district was representatived by the top three vote-getters in the general election. His co-representatives were Tony Garofano (1927–35), Fred A. Hutchinson (1927–33), James E. McElroy (1933–35). Assault conviction In 1928, Pratt was charged with attempted felonious assault. Catherine Sullivan, a friend and former coworker of Pratt's, testified that she met him on May 20, 1928, at the State House after he offered her a chance to work there. After visiting the Civil Service Commission and Income Tax Department, Pratt was unable to attain Sullivan a job and he offered to drive her home. During the trip, Sullivan noticed that she and Pratt were on the wrong road. Pratt later stopped the car in a wooded area in Middleton, Massachusetts, where he dragged her into the back seat and attempt to assault her. She escaped and he pursued her. He caught her and threw her to the ground, but she escaped again and ran to a house in the woods,