DeForest Porter
| DeForest Porter | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Associate Justice, Arizona Territorial Supreme Court | |
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In office April 1872 – June 7, 1882 |
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| Nominated by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | Isham Reavis |
| Succeeded by | Daniel H. Pinney |
| 3rd and 6th Mayor of Phoenix | |
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In office 1883–1884 |
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| Preceded by | Francis A. Shaw |
| Succeeded by | George F. Coats |
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In office 1886–1888 |
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| Preceded by | Emil Ganz |
| Succeeded by | A. Leonard Meyer |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 2, 1840 Orleans County, New York |
| Died | February 17, 1889 (aged 49) Phoenix, Arizona Territory |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Julia Sophia Trowbridge (1849 – 1878) Lois Gertrude Cotten (1880 – ) |
| Profession | Attorney |
DeForest Porter (February 2, 1840 – February 17, 1889) was an American jurist and politician who served as Associate Justice on the Arizona Territorial Supreme Court from 1872 till 1882 and as Mayor of Phoenix, Arizona Territory from 1886 till 1888.
Porter was born February 2, 1840 in Orleans County, New York and raised in the town of Albion. The ninth of nine children, he was educated in public schools and the Alviam Academy before enrolling at St. Lawrence University. Porter graduated from the university's theology school in 1861. While still in school he actively campaigned throughout New York for Abraham Lincoln's 1860 presidential run.
Following graduation, Porter reportedly was ordained as a Unitarian minister. Instead of pursuing a career as a clergyman, he instead apprenticed himself at the law office of Sanford E. Church and Noah Davis. Details of the next few years are unclear with most accounts indicating he was admitted to the bar in 1862 and Porter being wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg during his service in the Union army. In 1865, shortly after the American Civil War ended, Porter married Julia Sophia Trowbridge. The marriage produced a son and they adopted a daughter.
Following the wedding, Porter and his wife lived in Plattsmouth, Nebraska for a short time before settling in Brownville, Nebraska. There he established a legal practice and served as assessor, city attorney, and county attorney. In December 1870 Porter won a special election for a seat in the Nebraska House of Representatives. During his term of office he was active in the impeachment of governor David Butler.
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