Prince Hulon Preston Jr. (July 5, 1908 – February 8, 1961) was an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

and

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

Life

Preston was born in

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. He graduated from the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

School of Law A law school (also known as a law centre/center, college of law, or faculty of law) is an institution, professional school, or department of a college or university specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for bec ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

and was admitted to the Georgia state bar in 1930. He became a practicing lawyer in

Statesboro, Georgia Statesboro is the most populous city in and the county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the state, its population was 33,438 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city ...

. After serving in the

Georgia House of Representatives The Georgia House of Representatives is the lower house of the Georgia General Assembly (the state legislature) of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. There are currently 180 elected members. Republican Party (United States), Repu ...

from 1935 through 1938, Preston enlisted as a private in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

in 1942 and was promoted through the ranks to captain by the time of his discharge on October 13, 1945. He was then elected as a judge for the Statesboro city courts; however, he also won election to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

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 (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to serve in the

80th United States Congress The 80th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met ...

and never took the bench. A staunch segregationist, in 1956, Preston signed "The Southern Manifesto." Preston was reelected for six additional terms before losing his reelection bid in 1960. He died the next year in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

on February 8, 1961, and was buried in Stateboro's Eastside Cemetery.

References

1908 births 1961 deaths Democratic Party members of the Georgia House of Representatives Georgia (U.S. state) lawyers United States Army officers United States Army personnel of World War II University of Georgia alumni Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Georgia (U.S. state) People from Monroe, Georgia Dixiecrats Military personnel from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American lawyers Signatories of the Southern Manifesto 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Georgia General Assembly {{US-army-World-War-II-bio-stub