Preston W. Farrar
American lawyer and politician
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Preston Withers Farrar[1] (1805 or 1806 – March 7, 1850) was an American lawyer and politician. A Whig, 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 W. Farrar | |
|---|---|
| 17th Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1847 – March 7, 1850 | |
| Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives | |
| In office 1847 – March 7, 1850 | |
| Member of the Mississippi Senate from the Wilkinson County district | |
| In office 1836–1837 | |
| Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from the Wilkinson County district | |
| In office 1838–1841 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Preston Withers Farrar 1805 or 1806 |
| Died | (aged 44) |
| Relations | Abram M. Scott (father-in-law) |
| Alma mater | Transylvania University |
Biography
Farrar was born in 1805 or 1806, 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 Woodville.[3][7] In March 1833, he married Eliza Scott, the only daughter of Mississippi Governor Abram M. Scott.[7][9] In 1837, following Abram's death, he and Eliza took control over half of his 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] during the latter of which the state capital moved from New Orleans to Baton Rouge.[12]
Farrar died on March 7, 1850, aged 44, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[13][14]