Jacob Alexander Preston (March 12, 1796 – August 2, 1868) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

Early life

Jacob Alexander Preston was born on March 12, 1796, at the "Vineyard" in

Bel Air, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. History Bel Air's identity has gone through several incarnations since 1780. Aquilla Scott, ...

, to Sarah (née Bond) and Bernard Preston. His grandfather was Jacob Bond, a large land owner near Bel Air. He attended the common schools and graduated from the medical department of the

University of Maryland at Baltimore The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States ...

in 1816 with a

Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degre ...

Career

Preston started his medical practice in

Perryman, Maryland Perryman is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,342 at the 2010 census. History St. George's Parish Vestry House was listed on the National Register of His ...

, but also practiced in Harford,

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 ...

, and

Cecil Cecil may refer to: People with the name * Cecil (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) * Cecil (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) Places Canada * Cecil, Alberta ...

counties. He also engaged in agricultural pursuits, and served as lieutenant of a Maryland regiment in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It ...

. Preston was elected as a

Whig Whig or Whigs may refer to: Parties and factions In the British Isles * Whigs (British political party), one of two political parties in England, Great Britain, Ireland, and later the United Kingdom, from the 17th to 19th centuries ** Whiggism ...

to the Twenty-eighth Congress (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1845). He was not a candidate for renomination in 1844, and resumed the practices of medicine and agriculture.

Personal life

Preston married Caroline Perryman, daughter of George Perryman. His children included Emily, John Fisher and J. Alexander. His grandson

John F. Preston John Fisher Preston Jr. (November 5, 1872July 1, 1960) was an American army officer who rose to the rank of Inspector General of the United States Army. His first conflict was the Spanish–American War serving in the 7th Infantry, and fighting i ...

served as Army inspector general. His grand nephew was judge Walter W. Preston. Preston died on August 2, 1868, at his home in Perryman. He is interred in Old Spesutia Cemetery, St. George's Churchyard in Perryman.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Jacob Alexander 1796 births 1868 deaths People from Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni Physicians from Maryland American militiamen in the War of 1812 American militia officers Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland 19th-century Maryland politicians 19th-century American legislators