William Ballard Preston
William Preston | |
---|---|
Confederate States Senator from Virginia | |
In office February 18, 1862 – November 16, 1862 | |
Preceded by | Constituency established |
Succeeded by | Allen T. Caperton |
19th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
In office March 8, 1849 – July 22, 1850 | |
President | Zachary Taylor Millard Fillmore |
Preceded by | John Y. Mason |
Succeeded by | William A. Graham |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 12th district | |
In office March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849 | |
Preceded by | Augustus A. Chapman |
Succeeded by | Henry A. Edmundson |
Personal details | |
Born | William Ballard Preston November 25, 1805 Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
Died | November 16, 1862 Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S. | (aged 56)
Political party | Whig |
Spouse | Lucy Redd |
Education | Hampden-Sydney College University of Virginia, Charlottesville (LLB) |
William Ballard Preston (November 25, 1805 – November 16, 1862) was an American politician who served as a
Biography
Born in 1805 at
The young attorney soon entered politics as a Whig and was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1830. During the 1831–1832 session, he took an active part in the campaign to abolish slavery. Then there followed an eight-year hiatus in his political activities during which he returned to the practice of law. In 1840, he was elected to the State Senate, where he served from 1840 to 1844, before returning to the House of Delegates. In 1846, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives.
In March 1849, President Zachary Taylor appointed the Preston Secretary of the Navy. During Preston's tenure in that office, the United States Navy acquired new duties in the course of America's westward expansion and acquisition of California. Trade and commerce in the Pacific Ocean beckoned, and the Stars and Stripes flew from the masts of Navy ships in Chinese waters, while the shores of Japan, then unopened to the west, presented a tantalizing possibility for commercial intercourse. The Navy also was progressing through a technological transition, especially in the area of moving from sails to steam propulsion, and with the improvements in gunnery and naval ordnance. Upon the death of President Taylor, new President Millard Fillmore reorganized the Cabinet and appointed William Alexander Graham Secretary of the Navy. Preston retired from office and withdrew from politics and public life.
Resuming his private law practice, Preston acquired a reputation for being a fine defense lawyer before being sent to France in 1858 to negotiate for the establishment of a line of commercial steamers to operate between Le Havre and Norfolk. The mission to France progressed well, and the project appeared promising until it was brought to naught by the American Civil War.
As states in the lower South seceded from the Union, the pressure mounted upon Virginia to do likewise. Moderate sentiment still held sway through 1860; but, early in 1861, increasing tensions forced Virginians to consider secession. On February 13, 1861, the
Elected C.S. Senator from Virginia in the Confederate States Congress, he served in that legislative body until his death at Smithfield Plantation in 1862. He is interred at the Preston Cemetery in Blacksburg, Virginia, near Smithfield Plantation.
Legacy
Notes
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Naval History and Heritage Command.
References
External links
- United States Congress. "William Ballard Preston (id: P000518)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- William Ballard Preston at Find a Grave
- William Ballard Preston at the Naval Historical Center
- William Ballard Preston at The Political Graveyard