David R. Porter
David Rittenhouse Porter (October 31, 1788 – August 6, 1867) was the ninth governor of Pennsylvania.[1] Voted into office during the controversial 1838 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, which was characterized by intense anti-Masonic and anti-abolitionist rhetoric during and after the contest[2][3] that sparked the post-election Buckshot War,[4][5] he served as the state's chief executive officer from 1839 to 1845.[6]
David Rittenhouse Porter
John Harper
Isaac Slenker
October 31, 1788
Norristown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
August 6, 1867 (aged 78)
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Josephine McDermott (m. 1820)
His son, Horace Porter, who was the aide-de-camp of Union General Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War,[7] served as the United States Ambassador to France from 1897 to 1905.[8][9][10]
Early life and education[edit]
Porter, the first governor under the State Constitution of 1838, was born October 31, 1788, near Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, spending his boyhood at Selma Mansion, a home built by his father in 1794.[11] The son of Elizabeth (née Parker) and Andrew Porter, the Revolutionary War officer,[12][13] he was also the brother of George Bryan Porter who became the Territorial Governor of Michigan from 1831 to 1834 and James Madison Porter who became the Secretary of War from 1843 to 1844.[14][15][16]
Porter received a classical education at Norristown Academy.[17] In 1813, he moved to Huntingdon where he studied law with Edward Shippen and eventually purchased an iron works.[18]
Porter also became a member of the Huntingdon Lodge of the Freemasons, rising to the levels of Grand Master of his lodge and Deputy Grand Master of the Masonic district in which his lodge was located.[19][20]
Due to the recession that followed the War of 1812 and his resulting business failure, his life changed markedly. Turning to politics in 1819, he also became a family man, marrying Josephine McDermott in 1820.[21][22]
Illness, death and interment[edit]
Falling ill after attending a church meeting in Harrisburg during the winter of 1866-1867, Porter's health continued to decline over a period of several months. He died on August 6, 1867, at the age of 78,[61][62] and was buried in the Harrisburg Cemetery.[63]
Legacy[edit]
Porter Street in Philadelphia is named in his honor. His grandson William Wagener Porter was a prominent Philadelphia attorney and legal author.[64]