Kenneth Preston (sailor)

Kenneth Huson Preston[1] (19 May 1901 – 6 June 1995) was a British sailor. He competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics and the 1952 Summer Olympics.[2]

Kenneth Preston
Personal information
Full nameSir Kenneth Huson Preston
NationalityBritish
Born(1901-05-19)19 May 1901
Sevenoaks, England
Died6 June 1995(1995-06-06) (aged 94)
Cirencester, England
Sport
SportSailing

Early life and education

Preston was the eldest of three sons of the industrialist and politician Sir Walter Preston. His younger brother, Francis,[3] was also an Olympic sailor. He was educated at Rugby School and Trinity College, Oxford, which he left without a degree, but where he played rugby, narrowly missing a blue due to an ankle injury.[2]

Career

Preston went into the family engineering business, and was a highly successful businessman. He was chairman of one of the family's acquisitions, Platt Brothers, which provided machinery for most of the Lancashire cotton industry. He was knighted in 1959.[2]

Sporting achievements

Preston competed in the 1936 and 1952 Olympic Games, and was regarded as a major figure in the sailing of "big boats" in the 1950s. All three Preston brothers were elected members of the Royal Yacht Squadron; Preston was a member for 72 years, and was vice-commodore from 1965 to 1971. He was also vice-commodore of the Royal Thames Yacht Club from 1953 to 1966.[2]

References
  1. Dod's Peerage, R. P. Dod, S. Low, Marston & Co., 1923, p. 706
  2. "Kenneth Preston". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. Dod's Peerage, R. P. Dod, S. Low, Marston & Co., 1923, p. 706
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.