Thomas William "Billy" Preece (Utah lawman)

Thomas William "Billy" Preece (1856-1928) - Utah lawman, Thomas Preece, was best known for capturing several members of the Wild Bunch. Born at Salt Lake City, Utah on February 11, 1856, he worked on the Uintah Ute Indian Reservation when he was a young man and later, as a freighter between Vernal, Utah and Rock Springs, Wyoming .

He was elected sheriff of Uintah County, Utah in 1896 and as such, quickly came into conflict with members of the Wild Bunch, who were terrorizing the state. He was instrumental in capturing outlaws, Harry Tracy, David Lant and Patrick Johnson. In April, 1900 Preece and other lawman caught up with Wild Bunch member Flat Nose George Curry and in the ultimate gunfight that ensued, Curry was killed.

Preece continued as Uintah County sheriff until 1906. In 1909, he became a U.S. Deputy Marshal at Whiterocks, Utah and later served as city marshal at Vernal.

During his lifetime, he married and fathered five children. He died on February 2, 1928 of dropsy, an old term for the swelling of soft tissues due to the accumulation of excess water. He was buried at Rock Point Cemetery near Vernal, Utah.