Peter A. Porter

For his father, the Union Army colonel, see Peter A. Porter (colonel).

Peter Augustus Porter (1853-1925), Congressman from New York

Peter Augustus Porter (October 10, 1853 – December 15, 1925) was a U.S. Representative from New York, and grandson of Peter Buell Porter. Porter was the son of Mary Cabell Breckenridge and Colonel Peter A. Porter, the Civil War hero who bravely died in the bloody Battle of Cold Harbor. Porter was one of Niagara's first native poets.

Early life

Porter was born in Niagara Falls, New York on October 10, 1853, the only son of Colonel Peter A. Porter who was the only son of Peter Buell Porter. His mother died when he was four years old. He was taught by private teachers and later attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire from 1865 to 1871. He graduated from Yale College in 1874. After his formal education, Porter engaged in banking and was an extensive landowner.

Politics

He served as village president of Niagara Falls, New York in 1878.

Porter was a Republican member of the New York State Assembly (Niagara Co., 2nd D.) in 1886 and 1887. In 1907, he was elected as an Independent Republican to the 60th United States Congress, holding office from March 4, 1907, to March 3, 1909. He declined to be a candidate for renomination.

Later life

Following his stint in politics, Porter engaged in the study and writing of history of the Niagara frontier. He died in Buffalo, New York, December 15, 1925 and was interred in Oakwood Cemetery in his hometown of Niagara Falls, New York.

References

• Peter A. Porter at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

External links

• Works by Peter A. Porter at Project Gutenberg
• Peter A. Porter at Find a Grave

New York Assembly
Preceded by Walter P. Horne	New York State Assembly Niagara County, 2nd District 1886–1887	Succeeded by Nelson D. Haskell
United States House of Representatives
Preceded by James Wolcott Wadsworth	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 34th congressional district 1907–1909	Succeeded by James S. Simmons

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.