L. Richardson Preyer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lunsford Richardson Preyer (1919-2001), who typically went by 'Richardson' or 'Rich,' was a jurist and a U.S. representative in Congress from North Carolina.
Preyer, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, graduated from Princeton University, served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 through 1946, and then earned a law degree from Harvard Law School.
He served as a North Carolina superior court judge from 1956 to 1961, when President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the United States District Court bench. He resigned as a judge in 1963 and became a candidate for Governor of North Carolina. Preyer eventually lost in the 1964 Democratic Party primary runoff to another former judge, Dan K. Moore.
After working as a vice president for North Carolina National Bank (today, Bank of America), Preyer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1968. He served six terms in Congress and was chairman of the House Ethics Committee in the 95th U.S. Congress. He also served on the House Select Committee on Assassinations. He was defeated for re-election in 1980 by Walter E. Johnston, III.
