William Henry Porter (January 8, 1861 – November 30, 1926) was a prominent banker in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Porter became president of

Chemical National Bank Chemical Bank was a bank with headquarters in New York City from 1824 until 1996. At the end of 1995, Chemical was the third-largest bank in the U.S., with about $182.9 billion in assets and more than 39,000 employees around the world. Beginning ...

in 1903 and was one of the founders and directors of the Bankers Trust Company of New York. 1908, Porter was elected to serve as president of the

New York Clearing House The Clearing House is a banking association and payments company owned by the largest commercial banks in the United States. The Clearing House is the parent organization of The Clearing House Payments Company L.L.C., which owns and operates core ...

and later became a partner in the firm J.P. Morgan & Co..

Early life

Porter was born at

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One of ...

on January 8, 1861. He was a son of William Trowbridge Porter (1838–1898) and Martha Elizabeth (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Samson) Porter (1837–1917). Porter was educated at Middlebury Academy and the Saratoga High School.

Career

His first banking employment was as a junior clerk in the Fifth Avenue Bank of

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 * '' ...

, where he stayed for eight years. In 1886, Porter left the Fifth Avenue Bank of New York to become cashier of the Chase National Bank. In 1893, after seven years as vice president of the Chase National Bank, Porter was elected vice president of the

in 1898. Upon the death of George G. Williams in May 1903, Porter became president of

. Also in 1903, Porter was one of the founders and directors of the Bankers Trust Company of New York. Porter was also a trustee of the

Guaranty Trust Company of New York J.P. Morgan & Co. is a commercial and investment banking institution founded by J. P. Morgan in 1871. Through a series of mergers and acquisitions, the company is now a subsidiary of JPMorgan Chase, one of the largest banking institutions in th ...

. On October 6, 1908, Porter was elected to serve as president of the

. Porter also served as treasurer and member of the executive committee of Chamber of Commerce. In 1910, Porter left Chemical to become a partner in the firm J.P. Morgan & Co.

Personal life

Porter was married to Esther Jackson (1862–1934), a daughter of James Jackson. Together, they lived in a townhouse at 45 East 68th Street in Manhattan and had a country home in Glen Cove on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. They were the parents of: * James Jackson Porter (1891–1918), a 1911 graduate of

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

and 1914 graduate of

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

who practiced law with White & Case before he was killed in action during the Meuse–Argonne offensive near

Brielles Brielles (; ; Gallo: ''Berièll'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Brielles are called ''Briellois'' in French. See also *Communes of the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. * Helen Porter (1897–1969), who married Richard Leech Davisson. They divorced and she married Paul Pryibil in 1928. In 1938, they built a mansion in

Glen Cove, New York Glen Cove is a Political subdivisions of New York State#City, city in Nassau County, New York, United States, on the North Shore (Long Island), North Shore of Long Island. At the 2020 United States Census, the city population was 28,365 as of th ...

known as

Bogheid Bogheid is a historic mansion in Glen Cove, New York. History It was built in 1938 for Helen Porter Pryibil, daughter of William H. Porter. It was designed by Delano and Aldrich in the French Manor style. At some point Prybil sold the estat ...

. Pryibil died in 1947. Porter died while walking with his wife along Lafayette Avenue in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

on November 30, 1926. After a funeral at Central Presbyterian Church on

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Stre ...

, he was buried at

Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and a designated National Historic Landmark. Located south of Woodlawn Heights, Bronx, New York City, it has the character of a rural cemetery. Woodlawn Cemetery opened during th ...

. His estate was left to his wife (who died in 1934), daughter and grandchildren along with various bequests to Middlebury College and several churches.

Legacy

Porter helped to fund the creation of the Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, Vermont.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, William H 1861 births 1926 deaths American bankers JPMorgan Chase people Middlebury College alumni People from Middlebury, Vermont