Afterwards he resumed the practice of law, was considered for the Republican vice-presidential nomination in 1860 and was a presidential elector on the Abraham Lincoln ticket in 1864, where he was "largely instrumental in procuring the nomination of Andrew Johnson for the Vice-Presidency. After the death of President Lincoln, he served as effective White House Chief of Staff during the early days of the Johnson Administration. On August 14, 1865, King was appointed by President Andrew Johnson Collector of the Port of New York, in an effort to eliminate corruption in the Port of New York and to heal divisions within the Republican Party. After his death, he was succeeded by acting Collector Charles P. Clinch (brother-in-law of Alexander Turney Stewart). Personal life According to The New York Times, he was "remarkable for obesity. Though short of stature--only five feet six inches--he weighed over two hundred and fifty pounds. He tried hard to reduce his flesh by a course of dieting, but failed. Latterly, he took little exercise, but did a great deal of toilsome mind work." Despairing of success, King committed suicide by tying a bag of bullets around his neck and leaping from a ferryboat in New York Harbor on November 13, 1865. After a funeral at the Ogdensburg Episcopal Church, his remains were buried alongside his father and mother at the City Cemetery in Ogdensburg. References External links Mr. Lincoln and New York: Preston King 1806 births 1865 deaths People from Ogdensburg, New York Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Free Soil Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) Republican Party United States senators from New York (state) New York (state) Free Soilers New York (state) Republicans 1864 United States presidential electors New York (state) postmasters Members of the New York State Assembly Collectors of the Port of New York Union College (New York) alumni People of New York (state) in the American Civil War American politicians who committed suicide Suicides in New York City Suicides by drowning in the United States 1860s suicides