Preston E. Peden
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Preston Elmer Peden (June 28, 1914 - June 27, 1985) was a U.S. Representative from Oklahoma.
Born in Duke, Oklahoma, Peden moved to Altus, Oklahoma, in 1920. He attended the public schools. He was in the University of Oklahoma at Norman, Oklahoma receiving his A.B. in 1936, and from the law school of the same university, his LL.B. in 1939. He was admitted to the bar in 1939 and commenced the practice of law in Altus, Oklahoma. Attorney for the State insurance fund of the State of Oklahoma 1939-1942. Enlisted in June 1942 as a private in the United States Army. He was promoted through the ranks to Captain, being discharged May 5, 1946. Awarded Bronze Star. While serving overseas sent a notification and declaration for the office of Congressman to the election board and subsequently received the nomination.
Peden was elected as a Democrat to the 80th Congress (January 3, 1947-January 3, 1949). He was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1948. He served as staff member of the Public Lands Committee of the United States House of Representatives in May 1949. He was appointed Alaskan regional counsel, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior, in 1950. Counsel to House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs 1950-1952. He served as director of governmental affairs of the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry from 1954 to 1980. He was a resident of La Grange, Illinois. He moved to Walnut Creek, California, and lived there until his death on June 27, 1985.
