Lewis Thompson Preston

Born New York City, Preston was the son of Lewis T. and Priscilla Baldwin Preston.[1] His father was a World War I flier and a well-known hunter.[1] His grandfather was a partner in Standard Oil.[1] Part of his youth was spent living in Paris.[2] He served in the US Marines during World War II in the Pacific and as an aide to Navy Secretary James Forrestal who was a friend of his mother.[2] He graduated from Harvard University with a degree in history in 1951, and was at one point during his education the captain of Harvard's hockey team.[2] He was chosen for the United States men's national ice hockey team, but never ended up competing in the Olympics.[2]

Preston worked at J.P. Morgan & Co. and its subsidiary Morgan Guaranty Trust Company for forty years.[1] His first major contribution to the company was in the mid 1960s when he convinced the company to use trade in the newly formed Eurodollar market as source of liquidity; a move which greatly improved the prosperity of the company.[1] In 1968 he was appointed vice president in charge of international banking, and under his tenure over half of the company's earnings came from the international banking sector in the 1970s.[1] After eight years in that position he became vice chairman of the board of directors in 1976, and then president of the board in 1978.[1]

In 1980 Preston was appointed CEO of J.P. Morgan & Co.[1] He helped the company weather the storm of Silver Thursday in 1980 which had a wide negative impact on the banking industry.[1] In 1984 he assisted in the bailout of Continental Illinois when it was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. He retired as CEO in February 1991.[1] From September 1991 until his death in Washington D.C. on May 4, 1995 he was President of the World Bank.[1]

• Biography of Lewis Thompson Preston (website)
• Appearances on C-SPAN