Preston Theodore King

Preston Theodore King was born in Albany on March 3, 1936, the youngest of seven sons of Margaret Slater and Clennon W. King.

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Preston King assisted retired Judge William Augustus Bootle down the front steps of the Judge's home in Macon, Georgia, for a news conference on Friday, February 25, 2000. Bootle, a federal judge who signed the 1961 court order desegregating the University of Georgia, passed away at his home on Tuesday, January 25, 2005. He was 102 years old.

From an early age, King demonstrated exceptional academic prowess, majoring in history at Fisk University in Nashville, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1956. During his studies, he corresponded with the Albany draft board, where he was addressed as “Mr. Preston King.” This formal recognition abruptly ended when the board learned of his race, leading to subsequent letters referring to him simply as “Preston.” King aptly described this shift as an attempt “to disembowel the person socially” and identified it as part of a broader tactic to uphold a caste system.Despite this treatment, the board granted him a two-year student exemption, permitting him to study at the prestigious London School of Economics and Political Science. As he prepared to continue his doctoral studies in London, King requested an extension for his academic deferment. However, his request was denied.