Researching James Porter

Porter began his career studying law in 1809 and later became a clerk in the prothonotary's office in an effort to manage a volunteer militia company at Fort Mifflin. Porter was admitted to the bar in 1813 and later appointed to attorney general for Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Throughout his life, Porter filled many roles. He was a professor of jurisprudence and political economy at Lafayette College (1837-1852), a judge of the twelfth judicial district (1839), ad interim Secretary of War under President John Tyler (1843), and was elected as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1849.

Porter was a member of the New York State Assembly, and was elected as a Democratic-Republican to the Fifteenth Congress (March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1819). He was not a candidate for renomination, and resumed the practice of law. He served as surrogate of Onondaga County, then moved to Albany and served as register of the court of chancery until his death there February 7, 1839. His interment was in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Porter was born in Adelaide into a wealthy establishment family, and studied law and economics at the University of Adelaide. He became a barrister and solicitor, as well as managing a large rural property owned by his family in the south-east of the state, where his family had large holdings. He also served as a lieutenant in the army reserve.

Porter was elected to the House of Representatives in the Liberal victory at the 1975 federal election. He was promoted to the shadow ministry after the Liberal government was defeated at the 1983 election and served as opposition spokesperson for a succession of portfolios including Aboriginal affairs (1983-1984), health (1984-1987), family and community services and social security (1987) and housing and public administration (1987-1988). He was praised by conservatives for his performance in Aboriginal affairs at a time when the Labor government faced challenges relating to native title and was later credited with leading the opposition's attack on the controversial Australia Card proposal. In 1987, he was briefly raised as a potential candidate for deputy leader of the party. However, he was downgraded to shadow parliamentary secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in his last two years from 1989 to 1990.

In June 1989 Porter was resoundingly defeated for Liberal preselection to recontest his seat at the 1990 federal election by Ian McLachlan, the high-profile and ambitious former president of the National Farmers' Federation. He faced strong pressure to resign immediately to allow McLachlan to enter parliament at a by-election, with rumours that he would be offered another position such as High Commissioner in London so that he would resign, but refused and remained until the 1990 election.

Porter was elected as a vice-president of the state branch of the Liberal Party in August 1989 while still an MP. In 1992, he narrowly lost a bitter battle for the state presidency of the party to Vickie Chapman amidst infighting between the "wet" and "dry" factions of the party.

He was the son of John Porter, an early settler on the Upper Saint John River, and was educated at Presque Isle, Maine. Porter married Alma J. Watson. He served on the municipal council for 24 years and as county warden for 10 years. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the provincial assembly in the 1882, 1886 and 1890 general elections and was finally elected in a by-election held on August 23, 1890. He did not run in the 1892 general election but returned and won in the 1896 and 1899 general elections, but was defeated in the 1903 general election.

He died in Andover, New Brunswick in 1926.

In addition to his academic achievements, Porter designed the Northampton Street Bridge between Easton, Pennsylvania, and Phillipsburg, New Jersey, which is now one of few eyebar cantilever bridges remaining in the U.S. and notable for its high level of ornamentation. Porter also served as consulting engineer to John A. Roebling and Sons on the Riegelsville Bridge further downstream, a wire-rope suspension bridge. Both bridges have national significance for their unique designs and have been documented by the Historic American Engineering Record. Drawings and calculations for these bridges are among Porter's papers collected at the Northampton County Historical and Genealogical Society, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission archives, and in Special Collections at Lafayette College's Skillman Library.