Alexander Porter (June 24, 1785January 13, 1844) was an attorney, politician, and planter, who served as
United States Senator from
Louisiana from 1833 to 1837. Born in Ireland, he emigrated in 1801 at the age of 16 to the United States. He served a term in the statehouse from 1816 to 1818, and as a state Supreme Court justice from 1821 to 1833.
Biography
Early life
Born in
County Donegal,
Ireland, Alexander Porter immigrated to the U.S. in 1801 with an uncle, who settled in
Nashville, Tennessee. He received a limited schooling, but attended the now-defunct Clemenceau College. He "
read the law
Reading law was the method used in common law countries, particularly the United States, for people to prepare for and enter the legal profession before the advent of law schools. It consisted of an extended internship or apprenticeship under the ...
" as an apprentice and was admitted to
the bar in 1807.
Career
In 1807, he commenced practice in
Attakapas Parish,
Territory of Orleans. (In 1811, the area around
Franklin, Louisiana, became
St. Mary Parish.) Porter was a delegate to the convention which framed the first
Constitution of Louisiana
The Louisiana Constitution is legally named the Constitution of the State of Louisiana and commonly called the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and the Constitution of 1974. The constitution is the cornerstone of the law of Louisiana ensuring the ...
in 1812. He was elected as a member of the
lower branch of the
Louisiana Legislature from 1816 to 1818.
Alexander Porter served as a
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...
justice from 1821 to 1833. In 1833, he was selected as a
Whig to the
United States Senate by the state legislature, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Josiah S. Johnston
Josiah Stoddard Johnston (November 24, 1784May 19, 1833) was a United States representative and Senator from Louisiana. Born in Salisbury, Connecticut, he moved with his father to Kentucky in 1788, and went to Connecticut to attend primary school ...
. Porter served from December 19, 1833, until January 5, 1837, when he resigned due to ill health.
Porter returned to St. Mary Parish to practice law and manage his plantation,
Oaklawn. He was again chosen by the legislature for the U.S. Senate, for the term beginning March 4, 1843; but he did not take his seat due to poor health. The legislature elected
Henry Johnson, former governor of the state, to replace him.
Alexander Porter died in 1844. His remains were interred in
Nashville City Cemetery, the location of the grave of his young wife, Evilina (Baker) Porter (1797-1819).
OaklawnManor.com
accessed April 22, 2016.
See also
* List of United States senators born outside the United States
Sources
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Alexander
1785 births
1844 deaths
Politicians from County Donegal
Louisiana state court judges
Members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
United States senators from Louisiana
Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Louisiana lawyers
Farmers from Louisiana
Irish emigrants to the United States
American planters
Louisiana Whigs
19th-century American legislators
Louisiana National Republicans
Whig Party United States senators
National Republican Party United States senators
U.S. state supreme court judges admitted to the practice of law by reading law
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century Louisiana politicians