Wikipedia Biographical Summary:

"...William Bowker Preston (November 24, 1830 – August 2, 1908) was the fourth Presiding Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) between 1884 and 1907. Born in Halifax, Franklin County, Virginia, Preston was raised on a farm but at age 19 became a store clerk. He traveled to California by the Panama route in 1852.

"...He shortly afterward became a farmer in Yolo County, California. It was here that he joined the LDS Church..."

"...Thatcher was also in this company, and the following February Preston married Harriet Thatcher. In 1859 Preston was among the first settlers of Logan, Utah. He was made bishop of Logan in November 1859..."

"...Preston was a member of the Utah State Constitutional Convention in 1895. Preston was called to be the Presiding Bishop of the LDS Church by Church President John Taylor on 6 April 1884. Preston served until ill health forced him to resign his position on 4 December 1907. He died of pneumonia in Salt Lake City, Utah and was buried at Logan City Cemetery..."

SOURCE: Wikipedia contributors, 'William B. Preston (Mormon)', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 December 2011, 05:28 UTC, <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_B._Preston_(Mormon)&oldid=465952515> [accessed 6 February 2012]

Biographical Summary:

"...The William Bowker Preston story began only eight months after the Church of Jesus Christ was organized in Fayette, New York. Born 24 November 1830 in Haleford, Franklin County, Virginia, William was the third child of Christopher and Martha Clayton Preston...

"...His civic service included twelve years as Logan’s mayor and more than a decade in the territorial legislature. He was never defeated in an election, and the people knew that he could be trusted and that his actions would reflect community values. More than twenty years as a General Authority placed him in the company of the great men and women of Utah, who considered him a peer...:

SOURCE: Godrey, Kenneth W.; William Bowker Preston: Pioneer, Colonizer, Civic Leader, Church Official, Husband and Father; Mormon Historical Studies; Retrieved from: http://www.mormonhistoricsitesfoundation.org/publications/studies_spring2004/MHS_Spring_2004%20William%20Bowker%20Preston.pdf