Augustus Porter
| Augustus S. Porter | |
|---|---|
| Assemblyman New York Assembly |
|
|
In office July 1, 1802 – June 30, 1803 |
|
| Preceded by | Peter Buell Porter |
| Succeeded by | Nathaniel W. Howell |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
January 18, 1769 Salisbury Litchfield County, Connecticut |
| Died | June 10, 1849 (aged 80) Niagara Falls, New York |
| Resting place | Oakwood Cemetery Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York |
| Citizenship | US |
| Political party | Democratic-Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Lavinia Steele Jane Howell |
| Relations |
Peter Buell Porter Levi Woodbury |
| Children | 5 |
| Profession | Surveyor Farmer Businessman Politician |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
Augustus S. Porter (January 18, 1769 – June 10, 1849) was an American businessman, judge, farmer, and politician who served as an Assemblyman for the state of New York.
Augustus Porter was born in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, on January 18, 1769. He was one of six children born to Joshua and Abigail Buell. He attended public schools and learned surveying at an early age.
Porter first visited Niagara County in 1795, surveying land throughout Western New York and Ohio. In 1796, the Connecticut Land Company employed Porter as chief surveyor, with more than fifty assistants, to make the first survey of lands on the south shore of Lake Erie.
In 1800, he moved to Canandaigua, New York and in 1805, he and his brother, Peter Buell Porter (1773–1844), with whom he had business interests across a variety of industries,moved to Niagara Falls purchasing the land near Niagara Falls, United States at a public auction in order to open a business park. The land was ceded by the Seneca Nation to the State of New York in 1802. They named the property they bought and developed Manchester, after the English city, and the area was called Manchester up until 1840. This purchase also provided them with the acquisition of the water rights to the eastern rapids both above and below Niagara Falls. In 1803, they built the first sawmill and a productive paper mill on Bath Island. Around 1805, they had a grist mill and tannery operating that was built at "Joncairs' old ditch." However, the Porter brothers were forced out of business when the Erie Canal opened 20 years later.
In 1825, the Porter brothers presented a prospectus, touting the economic advantages of developing Goat Island as an industrial site. It was a “situation... not surpassed, and probably not equaled, in the United States, as a site for the establishment of manufactures." “A thousand mills might be erected with the same ease, and equally accessible, as if on a plain; and each supplied with a never failing water-power." Around 1847, the brothers attempted to interest investors to develop power from the water drop of the falls by developing a "hydraulic raceway" for both power and transportation. Augustus' initial plan was to use the power generated in the 50 foot (15m) drop of the rapids above the falls, however he could not find any interested financiers.
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