William Ballard Preston
| William B. Preston | |
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Confederate States Senator from Virginia |
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In office February 18, 1862 – November 16, 1862 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Allen T. Caperton |
| 19th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
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In office March 8, 1849 – July 22, 1850 |
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| 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 |
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In office November 25, 1847 – March 4, 1849 |
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| Preceded by | Augustus A. Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Henry A. Edmundson |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
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In office 1830-1832 1844-1845 |
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| Member of the Virginia Senate | |
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In office 1840-1844 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 25, 1805 Blacksburg, Virginia, US |
| Died | November 16, 1862 (aged 56) Blacksburg, Virginia, US |
| Political party | Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Lucinda "Lucy" Redd Preston |
| Alma mater |
Hampden–Sydney College University of Virginia |
William Ballard Preston (November 25, 1805 – November 16, 1862) was a United States political figure. He served as the U.S. Secretary of the Navy between 1849 and 1850. He is also the cousin of William Campbell Preston and William Preston.
Born in 1805 at Smithfield Plantation in Blacksburg, Virginia, Preston entered Hampden–Sydney College in 1821, where he was active in literary and forensic activities. Graduating in 1824, Preston studied law at the University of Virginia and was admitted to the bar in 1826. In 1831 he became the Commonwealth's Attorney for Floyd County, Virginia. He married Lucinda Redd of Henry County, Virginia.
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.
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Wikipedia