Harvey Phillip Pratt

Lance Corporal Harvey Phillip Pratt was born 13 April 1941 in El Reno, OK, and is a citizen and tribal Peace Chief of the Southern Cheyenne. His heritage taught him the importance of being a Warrior—protecting and defending home, family, Tribe, and land. A 1961 graduate of St. Patrick’s Indian Mission Boarding School in Anadarko where he was encouraged to live according to his culture, Pratt enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1962. In 1963, before the full American entry into the war in Southeast Asia, he served with Company C, 3rd Recon Battalion at Da Nang Air Base, South Vietnam.

Following military service, Pratt joined the Midwest City Police Department and was soon promoted to detective. While working, he earned his Associates Degree in Police Science from OSU and continued to hone his self-learned skill in forensic art. In 1972 he transferred to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation working as a police forensic artist and narcotics criminal investigator. He became an internationally recognized forensic illustrator, known for his cranial facial reconstruction and age progression sketches. After five decades in law enforcement, thousands of cases, and a stint as Interim Director at OSBI, Pratt retired in 2017 and lives in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

After dedicating his professional life to preserving safety and peacefulness in Oklahoma’s communities, Pratt now directs his energy, resources, and artistic expression to promoting Native American history and culture for posterity. In 2018, the jury for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian unanimously selected Pratt’s design entitled, “Warriors’ Circle of Honor,” for the National Native American Veterans Memorial to be placed on the National Mall in Washington D.C. It is scheduled for dedication on Veterans Day in 2020. Harvey Pratt is a worthy recipient of the Major General Douglas O. Dollar Distinguished Public Service Award for exemplary public service, going above and beyond in support of Oklahoma’s veterans and his community.