“P” is for Preston, William Campbell (1794-1860)

“P” is for Preston, William Campbell (1794-1860). U. S. Senator. Preston was an 1812 graduate of South Carolina College. After studying law in Virginia and at the University of Edinburgh, he practiced law in Virginia. In 1824 Preston moved to South Carolina and represented Richland District in the South Carolina House of Representatives (1828- 1833). In 1833 he was elected by the General Assembly to U. S. Senate. In the Senate, he was considered by many to be an eloquent orator. He was an active critic of President Andrew Jackson, voting to censure the president in 1834. His opposition to Jackson led Preston into the emerging Whig Party. In 1842 he resigned from the Senate and returned to South Carolina. In 1846 William Campbell Preston was appointed president and professor of belle lettres at the South Carolina College.