pratt rose to become a member of the corporation's executive committee and, from the 1923 until 1968, served on gm's board of directors. he was later a company vice president and is credited with supporting the idea of holding (as opposed to selling off) what became the frigidaire division of gm and encouraging the development of the coolant, freon. at first, he was assistant to the president of the company. later, alfred sloan—one of gm's early executives and later president—cited john pratt as "one of the best businessmen" he had ever known. unheralded might be another adjective applied to pratt.