Peter Buell Porter
| Peter Buell Porter | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Daniel Huntington (1873)
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| 12th United States Secretary of War | |
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In office May 23, 1828 – March 9, 1829 |
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| President |
John Quincy Adams Andrew Jackson |
| Preceded by | James Barbour |
| Succeeded by | John Henry Eaton |
| 11th Secretary of State of New York | |
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In office February 16, 1815 – February 12, 1816 |
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| Governor | Daniel D. Tompkins |
| Preceded by | Jacob R. Van Rensselaer |
| Succeeded by | Robert L. Tillotson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 21st district |
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In office March 4, 1815 – January 23, 1816 |
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| Preceded by |
Samuel M. Hopkins, Nathaniel W. Howell |
| Succeeded by |
Archibald S. Clarke, Micah Brooks |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 15th district |
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In office March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1813 |
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| Preceded by | William Kirkpatrick |
| Succeeded by |
John M. Bowers Joel Thompson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 14, 1773 Salisbury, Connecticut |
| Died | March 20, 1844 (aged 70) Niagara Falls, New York |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican, Whig |
| Spouse(s) | Letitia Breckinridge |
| Relations | Augustus Porter (brother) |
| Children |
Peter Augustus Porter Elizabeth Lewis Porter |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer |
| Awards | Congressional Gold Medal |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America New York
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| Service/branch |
New York State Militia
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| Years of service | 1812-1815 |
| Rank | Major general |
| Battles/wars |
War of 1812: • Battle of Black Rock • Battle of Chippewa • Battle of Niagara • Siege of Fort Erie |
Peter Buell Porter (August 14, 1773 – March 20, 1844) was an American lawyer, soldier and politician who served as United States Secretary of War from 1828 to 1829.
Peter Buell Porter was born on August 14, 1773, one of six children born to Dr. Joshua Porter (1730–1825) and Abigail Buell (1734–1797), who married in 1759 in Lebanon, Connecticut. His siblings were: Joshua Porter (1760–1831), Abigail Porter (1763–1797), Eunice Porter (1766–1848), Augustus Porter (1769–1849), Sally Porter (1776–1820). His father, Dr. Joshua Porter, a 1754 graduate of Yale, fought in the Revolutionary War as a Colonel. He was at the head of his regiment in October 1777 when John Burgoyne surrendered his 6,000 men after the Battles of Saratoga. After the war, he was elected to various official positions for forty-eight consecutive years. His maternal grandparents were Peter and Martha Buell (née Grant) of Coventry, Connecticut.
He attended and graduated from Yale College in 1791, studied law in Litchfield, Connecticut with Judge Tapping Reeve, who also taught Aaron Burr and John C. Calhoun.
In 1793, Porter was admitted to the bar, and commenced practice in Canandaigua, New York. From 1797 to 1804, he was Clerk of Ontario County, and was a member of the New York State Assembly (Ontario and Steuben Co.) in 1802. In the fall of 1809, Porter moved to Black Rock, New York, later part of Buffalo, and became a member of the firm of Porter, Barton & Company with his brother Augustus, which controlled transportation on the Niagara River. The company portaged goods by land from Lake Erie to Lewiston on the Niagara River through Niagara Falls, then shipped them east on Lake Ontario.
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