Joseph Allen Pratt
Cullen Professor (United States)
550 Agnes Arnold Hall
(713) 743-4659

Dr. Pratt is one of the nation’s foremost scholars on the dynamics and history of the petroleum industry. He holds a joint appointment in history and management. He served as Chair of the History Department, and for five years he served as the Executive Director of the Scholars’ Community, the largest undergraduate retention program at the University of Houston. Professor Pratt has been a consultant for the PBS mini-series' "The Prize" and "Brother Can You Spare a Billion." He has also been a visiting scholar of the Department of Energy and the director of the SoCal oral history project in conjunction with Standard Oil. He is currently the editor of The Houston Review of History and the Culture and Oil and Regional History Series, Texas A&M University Press.

Dr. Pratt received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. He has lectured at Harvard Business School, Texas A&M and the University of California, Berkeley. He served on many thesis and dissertations committees.

Teaching:
Dr. Pratt teaches courses in energy, business, and public history, as well as the American History survey. In the business school, he teaches on the international environment of business, social responsibility and ethics, and topics in regulation. He has been the recipient of the Houston Alumni Organizations, Outstanding Faculty Member in College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. Dr. Pratt has taught at the University since 1986. His many years of experience make him an effective teacher who encourages his students to use critical thinking and not to lose sight of the big picture when analyzing historical events.

Research:
Dr. Pratt is the author of more than nine books and numerous articles. His research is primarily in energy history and the history of the Houston region. Professor Pratt was the runner-up for the Newcomen Scroll for best book published on business history. He is currently doing research on the history of offshore oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico.

Selected Publications:
The Growth of a Refining Region. (JAI Press, 1980). 297 pp.

But Also Good Business: Texas Commerce Banks and the Financing of Houston and Texas (with Walter Buenger). (Texas A&M University Press, 1986). 450 pp.

The Rise of the Corporate Commonwealth: U.S. Business and Public Policy in the Twentieth Century (with Louis Galambos). (Basic Books, 1988).

A Managerial History of Consolidated Edison of New York (Consolidated Edison, 1988).

Baker & Botts in the Development of Modern Houston (with Kenneth Lipartito). (University of Texas Press, 1991).

From Texas to the East: A Strategic History of Texas Eastern Corporation (with Christopher Castaneda). (Texas A&M University Press, 1993).

Offshore Pioneers: A History of Brown & Root Marine (with Ty Priest and Christopher Castaneda). (Gulf Publishing Company, 1997).

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