Preston’s life reflects both the glamour and the grit of the Maybelline dynasty—his contributions to the company intertwined with a personal story of struggle and resilience

Susan Preston and TJ. 1916 World War I 

Noel Preston and Tom Lyle Williams 

Tom Lyle Williams, the founder of Maybelline, had a brother named William Preston Williams, commonly known as Preston. Born in 1898 in , Kentucky, Preston was part of the Williams family, which included their parents, Thomas Jefferson and Susan Williams, and siblings Mabel, Noel, Eva, and Tom Lyle. The family later moved to Chicago, where Tom Lyle established the Maybelline Company in 1915, inspired by their sister Mabel’s eyebrow and lash enhancement experiment.

Preston played a significant role in the early days of Maybelline. At 17, he joined the Navy during World War I, leaving home with dreams of heroism. However, the war left him with post-traumatic stress, and he returned a changed man, struggling with its lasting effects. Despite this, he contributed to his brother’s burgeoning cosmetics empire, working for Maybelline in Chicago alongside other family members like Noel, who managed the company. Tom Lyle, denied military service due to being the family’s primary breadwinner, relied on Preston and the family to help build the business.

Preston’s personal life was turbulent. He married Helen Clark first, then later Evelyn Boecher, whom he met in 1922 during a Memorial Day parade in Chicago. Evelyn, a charismatic figure dubbed the "real Miss Maybelline" by Tom Lyle, became a muse for Maybelline’s advertising. Preston and Evelyn had a son, William "Bill" Preston Williams Jr., though Preston’s struggles with alcohol and rage, worsened by his wartime experiences, strained their relationship. After a stint at the Mayo Clinic for stomach issues, Preston moved to Los Angeles, leaving Evelyn and Bill behind. There, he briefly worked on film sets and had a child with an Argentinean woman, a secret supported by Tom Lyle with Maybelline funds. Preston and Evelyn reconciled sporadically, often at Tom Lyle’s urging, but their marriage remained rocky until Preston’s death in 1936 at age 37 from colon cancer complications following an early colostomy procedure at the Mayo Clinic.