James Harry Preston (March 23, 1860 – July 14, 1938) was the

Mayor of Baltimore The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...

from 1911 to 1919. He also served in the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

Early life

James H. Preston was born at Preston's Hill in

Harford County, Maryland Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

on March 23, 1860 to Amelia (née Wilks) and James B. Preston. He attended Bel Air Academy and St. John's College in

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. He graduated from

University of Maryland School of Law The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (formerly University of Maryland School of Law) is the law school of the University of Maryland, Baltimore and is located in Baltimore City, Maryland, U.S. Its location places Maryland ...

in 1881 with a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

Career

In 1881, Preston entered the law office of George M. Gill and after Gill's death went into practice with his son, John Gill Jr. Preston was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

in 1889. He served in that role from 1890 to 1894. He briefly served as

Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates The Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates presides as speaker over the House of Delegates in the state of Maryland in the United States. List of speakers Footnotes References Maryland State Archives - House of Delegates Records ...

in 1894. He served as a member of the Board of Police Commissioners of Baltimore from 1904 to 1908. Preston was backed by political boss John J. Mahon for nomination for

in 1911. He served as the

from 1911 to 1919. During his tenure as Mayor, the

Hanover Street Bridge The Hanover Street Bridge – officially, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge – is a bascule bridge crossing the middle branch of the Patapsco River along Hanover Street (Maryland Route 2) in Baltimore, Maryland. The bridge was built to repla ...

was built and the

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, it bega ...

was founded. A number of civil works projects occurred while he was mayor, including paving and modernizing streets and removal of buildings on St. Paul Street into gardens and parked spaces. In

1912 Events January * January 1 – The Republic of China (1912–49), Republic of China is established. * January 5 – The Prague Conference (6th All-Russian Conference of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) opens. * January 6 ...

, he was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...

. While there, he received a few votes for the vice presidential nomination. In 1919, he was defeated by George Weems Williams in the primary election for mayor. He was appointed to the Port Development Commission by Mayor Broening. He was later appointed chairman of the Commission by Mayor

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

. He ran again for mayor in the 1923 election under an independent ticket and lost again. He then chose to withdraw from political life. Preston served as the 32nd President General of the

Sons of the American Revolution The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR or NSSAR) is an American Congressional charter, congressionally chartered organization, founded in 1889 and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville, Kentucky. A non-prof ...

. He was the first president and then vice president of Calvert Bank. He was also the president of Jones Falls Improvement Association.

Personal life

Preston married Helen Fiske Jackson, daughter of Wilbur F. Jackson and niece of

Elihu Emory Jackson Elihu Emory Jackson (November 3, 1837 – December 27, 1907), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 41st Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1888 to 1892. He was born in 1837 in Delmar, Maryland and died in 1907 in ...

, on November 14, 1894. Together, they had two sons and three daughters: Wilbur, James, Alice, Helen and Mary. His brother was Walter W. Preston, an associate judge of the third judicial court. He was friends with John Mahon. His family lived in a mansion on Charles Street in Baltimore built by William Key Howard in 1870. It was later the home of Governor Frank Brown.

Death

Preston died on July 14, 1938 at his home in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He is buried at

Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as many ...

Legacy

In 1917, Preston Gardens were built and named after Preston on St. Paul Street in Baltimore.

References

External links

* 1860 births 1938 deaths People from Harford County, Maryland St. John's College (Annapolis/Santa Fe) alumni University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni Maryland lawyers Mayors of Baltimore Members of the Maryland House of Delegates {{Maryland-mayor-stub