Historedia
Person

John Thomas Lewis Preston

Events
1
Episodes
4
Years
1834–1839

Every event in Historedia whose sources name John Thomas Lewis Preston, with the role they cite and all of that event’s episodes. This is not a biography, and mentions are grouped by name, so two people with the same name can share this page.

Events and episodes

  1. Founding of the Virginia Military Institute

    1834–1839

    Role: Founder

    1. 1834 · Lexington, VirginiaFranklin Society Debate

      The Franklin Society unanimously concluded in 1834 that establishing a military school near Lexington would be politic for the state.

    2. 1836 · Lexington, VirginiaLegislative Authorization

      The Virginia legislature passed a bill in 1836 authorizing the creation of a school at the Lexington arsenal, signed by the Governor.

    3. 1839 · Lexington, VirginiaFirst Sentinel Post

      Private John Strange became the first cadet to march a sentinel post in 1839, establishing a continuous tradition.

    4. 11 November 1839 · Lexington, VirginiaFormal Separation from Washington College

      The school formally separated from Washington College on November 11, 1839, thanks to funding by the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati.

Sources

  1. Lexington, Virginia Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-13
  2. Virginia Military Institute Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-20