Relief bust of U.S. Senator Preston King (1806-1865) in Ogdensburg/Riverside Cemetery on State Route 812 in Ogdensburg, New York. Morbidly obese his whole life, Preston King began his political career as a Democrat, served in Congress for two terms as a Free Soiler, then joined the Republican Party and was elected as a Republican to the U.S. Senate in 1857. He was a staunch ally of President Abraham Lincoln in the 1864 election. After Lincoln’s assassination, President Andrew Johnson appointed him Collector of the Port of New York, where he committed suicide by jumping in New York Harbor.
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Stories in Stone: Preston King
