Preston W. Farrar | |
---|---|
17th Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
Member of the LouisianaHouseofRepresentatives | |
In office 1847 –March 7, 1850 | |
Member of the LouisianaHouseofRepresentatives from the unknown district | |
In office 1847 –March 7,1850 | |
Member of the Mississippi Senate from the Wilkinson County district | |
In office 1836–1837 | |
Member of the MississippiHouseofRepresentatives from the Wilkinson County district | |
In office 1838–1841 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1805or1806 Lexington,Kentucky,U.S. |
Died | (aged 44) Baton Rouge,Louisiana,U.S. |
Relations | Abram M. Scott (father-in-law) |
Alma mater | Transylvania University |
Colonel Preston Withers Farrar [1] (1805/06 - March 7,1850) was an American lawyer and Whig politician. He was the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1848 to his death in 1850. [2] [3] [4] He also served in both houses of the Mississippi Legislature. [5]
Preston Withers Farrar was born in Lexington,Kentucky. [3] [6] [7] He had a brother,Daniel Foster Farrar (died 1841). [8] He graduated from Transylvania University. [3] [7] Farrar moved to the state of Mississippi in 1827,where he began practicing law in the town of Woodville. [3] [7] In March 1833,Farrar married Eliza Scott,the only daughter of Mississippi Governor Abram M. Scott. [7] [9] Governor Scott unexpectedly died of cholera in June 1833. [9] In 1837,Preston and Eliza took control of half of the late Abram's plantation and enslaved people in Rapides Parish,Louisiana. [9] In 1838 they mortgaged the property and 43 enslaved people to obtain a loan of $29,000,which Farrar then used to pay off a $24,443 debt he owed to a New Orleans firm. [9] When the Farrars could not repay a majority of the $29,000 loan the bank threatened to foreclose on the plantation property. [9]
Farrar was a member of the Whig Party. [2] In the 1836 and 1837 sessions,Farrar represented Wilkinson County in the Mississippi House of Representatives. [5] He represented the same county in the Mississippi State Senate from 1838 to 1841. [10] In 1839,Farrar experienced bank losses and moved to New Orleans,Louisiana. [7]
In 1847,Farrar served on the first board of the University of Louisiana. [11] In 1847 he served as Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives. [2] [12] He was again elected Speaker for the 1848 session,and the 1850 session [2] in which the state capital moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. [12]
In March 7,1850,Farrar died in Baton Rouge,Louisiana,at age 44. [13] [14] He was survived by his widow and several children. [15] [7]
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