John Porter (October 24, 1790 Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts – February 3, 1874

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

Cayuga County, New York Cayuga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 76,248. Its county seat and largest city is Auburn. The county was named for the Cayuga people, one of the Indian tribes in the Iroquois Conf ...

) was an American politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

Life

He graduated from Williams College in 1810. He then studied law in Albany, New York, was admitted to the bar in 1815, and commenced practice in Auburn. He served as District Attorney of Cayuga County from 1821 to 1828. In 1825, he married Abigail M. Phillips (1800–1886), a niece of Congressman

Gurdon S. Mumford Gurdon Saltonstall Mumford (January 29, 1764 – April 30, 1831) was a United States representative from New York. Early life Mumford was born in New London, Connecticut on January 29, 1764, and named in honor of his maternal grandfather. He wa ...

(1764–1831), and they had five children. He was Surrogate of Cayuga County from 1828 to 1836. He was a member of the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate. Partisan com ...

(6th D.) from 1843 to 1846, sitting in the 66th, 67th, 68th and

69th New York State Legislature The 69th New York State Legislature, consisting of the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly, met from January 6 to May 13, 1846, during the second year of Silas Wright's governorship, in Albany. Background Under the provisio ...

s. He was buried at the

Fort Hill Cemetery Fort Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Auburn, New York, United States. It was incorporated on May 15, 1851 under its official name: "Trustees of the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn". It is known for its headstones of notable people ...

in Auburn. His son

Charles Talbot Porter Charles Talbot Porter (January 18, 1826 – August 28, 1910) was an American lawyer, engineer, and inventor of mechanical devices, particularly the high-speed steam engine. He was recipient of the 1909 John Fritz Medal. Born in Auburn, New York, P ...

(1826–1910) was an inventor of mechanical devices, and received the

John Fritz Medal The John Fritz Medal has been awarded annually since 1902 by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) for "outstanding scientific or industrial achievements". The medal was created for the 80th birthday of John Fritz, who lived betw ...

in 1909. His daughter Anna Phillips Porter (1828–1910) was married to Alonzo Glover Beardsley (1820–1906), son of State Senator John Beardsley (1783–1857).

Sources

''The New York Civil List''
compiled by Franklin Benjamin Hough (pages 134f, 144, 371 and 412; Weed, Parsons and Co., 1858)
''History of Western Massachusetts''
by Josiah Gilbert Holand (Springfield MA, 1855; Vol. II, pg.226)
''Williams Biographical Annals''
by Calvin Durfee (1871; pg. 313f)
Beardsley genealogy

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, John 1790 births 1874 deaths Democratic Party New York (state) state senators Politicians from Auburn, New York Williams College alumni County district attorneys in New York (state) New York (state) state court judges 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American judges