Preston, James H., 1860-1938

James Harry Preston was born in Harford County, Maryland, on March 23, 1860. He attended St. John's College in Annapolis and the University of Maryland Law School, from which he graduated in 1881. While he was practicing law, Preston was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1889, winning re-election in 1893. He became Speaker of the House in 1894. After becoming involved in Baltimore City politics, he was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners in 1904. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 1910 but was elected Mayor of Baltimore in 1911. Preston modernized much of the city of Baltimore, a significant portion of which had been destroyed in the Great Fire of 1904. During his two terms as mayor, he oversaw the completion of sewerage and water systems and roads. A Democrat, he was a delegate to the 1912 Democratic National Convention; while there, he received a few votes for the vice presidential nomination. He served as the 32nd President General of the Sons of the American Revolution. James H. Preston died on July 14, 1938.