Alexander Porter (June 24, 1785January 13, 1844) was an attorney, politician, and planter, who served as

United States Senator The United States Senate is the Upper house, upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States House of Representatives, House of Representatives being the Lower house, lower chamber. Together they compose the national Bica ...

from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

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 County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, Alexander Porter immigrated to the U.S. in 1801 with an uncle, who settled in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. 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 The Territory of Orleans or Orleans Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from October 1, 1804, until April 30, 1812, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Louisiana. History In 1804, ...

. (In 1811, the area around

Franklin, Louisiana Franklin is a small city in and the parish seat of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,660 at the 2010 census. The city is located on Bayou Teche, southeast of the cities of Lafayette, () and New Iberia () and ) north ...

, 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 The Louisiana State Legislature (french: Législature d'État de Louisiane) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is a bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representa ...

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 The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by the state legislature, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Josiah S. Johnston. 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 Nashville City Cemetery is the oldest public cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee. Many of Nashville's prominent historical figures are buried there. It includes the tombs of 22,000 people, 6,000 of whom were African Americans. Overview Nashville ...

, the location of the grave of his young wife, Evilina (Baker) Porter (1797-1819).OaklawnManor.com
accessed April 22, 2016.

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 (before 1923) American planters Louisiana Whigs 19th-century American politicians 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

Biography

Early life

Career

See also

Sources

External links