William Preston was born July 26, 1848 in Bethany, Manvers Township, Durham County, Ontario. He was the son of Major Isaac Preston Junior. (New Amsterdam, New New York
Amherst Island, Ontario, Manvers Township, Ontario, and Vancouver, British Columbia) and Mary Anne Woodside (Bellin, County Londonderry, Ireland, and Amherst Island, Ontario).
Preston was a merchant at Prince Arthur"s Landing from 1875-1879 where some of his Woodside kin resided. He was acclaimed a councillor for the South Ward of Prince Arthur"s Landing in the Municipality of Shuniah 1876/77-1877/78, then was elected at a by-election 10 June 1879 for Crooks Ward. He then became a railway contractor, and in later years was heavily involved in gold mining.
He was first elected to the Ontario Legislature in 1905 as the Master in Public Policy (Conservative) for Portuguese Arthur and Rainy River.
Then, re-elected in 1908 and 1911 as the member for Rainy River. He, along with others, had applied for a charter to form the Rainy Lake Pulp and Paper Company in Fort Frances.
William Preston died in 1944 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
