admin HON. PETER AUGUSTUS PORTER, son of Col. Peter A. Porter, is one of the leading men of the State, and has long been a central figure in the political, industrial and civic affairs of Western New York. Mr. Porter has the incentives to achievement which are the natural possession of the descendants of so illustrious a line, and has worthily maintained the prestige of the distinguished name he bears. Public spirit is one of his salient characteristics, and he is signally identified, both as a legislator and a citizen, with the development of the power resources of Niagara Falls.
Mr. Porter was born at Niagara Falls, N. Y., October 10, 1853. He was educated at St. Paul’s School, Concord, N. H., and at Yale College, graduating from the latter in 1874. His college course was followed by extensive foreign travel. On returning from abroad Mr. Porter actively identified himself with the business and municipal interests of Niagara Falls, his enterprise and initiative soon making themselves manifest as factors in the upbuilding of that city.
In 1886 Mr. Porter was elected a member of the Legislature, and the following year was reelected. As Assemblyman- he introduced and brought about the passage of the celebrated Niagara Tunnel Bill, which gave the sanction of the State to the utilization of the cataract for the development of electric power. The effect of this legislation has been far-reaching, the law and its outcome marking a memorable epoch in the industrial world. In the fall of 1906, Mr. Porter was nominated for Congress in the 34th District on an independent Republican ticket, being indorsed by the Democrats and the Independence League. His adversary was James W. Wadsworth, who for many successive terms had been returned to Congress from the district, and the normal majority which Mr. Porter would be obliged to overcome was estimated at from 7,000 to 13,000. Mr. Porter was elected by heavy pluralities, the result being a significant tribute to him as a leader and a decisive endorsement of his policy.
Mr. Porter has always taken a deep interest in the wonderful conquest of nature at Niagara Falls. He was a prime mover in the negotiations incident to the establishment of power plants at the Falls, and his tact and counsel materially aided to reconcile conflicting interests. As an author he did much to place the project in a correct light, to enlist capital and to supply the public with accurate information. Mr. Porter has been a lifelong student of the antiquities of the Niagara Frontier, and is a distinguished contributor to the literature of that topic. His library relating to the subject is the most extensive of its kind in the country.
Mr. Porter is a prominent member of the Buffalo Historical Society and belongs to many other organizations.
February 3, 1877, Mr. Porter married Alice Adele Taylor, daughter of Virgil Corydon Taylor and Harriett C. (Dunlap). Mrs. Porter is of an ancient family of English and Puritan lineage, being descended from Richard Taylor, who came from England to Massachusetts Colony in 1648. The children of the marriage are Peter A. Porter Jr. born November 16, 1877; Cabell Breckenridge Porter, born April 8, 1881, and Preston Buell Porter, born March 13, 1891.
SOURCE: Memorial and Family History of Erie County New York; Volume I