William Field Porter

File:William Field Porter, c. 1865.jpg

William Field Porter, c. 1865

William Field Porter (24 January 1784 – 30 March 1869) was a ship owner from Liverpool, who migrated to South Australia in 1838. He relocated to Auckland in 1841, where he became a member of the New Zealand Parliament.

Early life

Porter was born in London in 1784. He was orphaned by 1796 and it is likely he commenced his career at sea shortly after. His first command was Template:Ship, sailing in the Liverpool to Barbados trade. Her owners, Barton, Irlam and Higginson specialised in that trade. Later, in the War of 1812, Tiger, still under Porter's command, was granted a letter of marque to operate offensively, not just defensively, against American shipping.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Tiger, in company with Template:Ship, also a vessel that Barton, Irlam and Higginson owned, captured three American ships in 1813 as the two British ships were returning to England from Barbados.<ref>Lloyd's List №4749.</ref>

In 1810, he married Alice Roper (1790–1862) in Liverpool, with whom he had four children. His only daughter, Alice, married fellow coastal trader John Salmon in 1853.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 29 November 1811 Captain Porter stood trial at London for having taken on board Tiger at Carlisle Bay, Barbados, two deserters from the Royal Navy and having concealed them when the Navy sent a Lieutenant to look for them. (Apparently he had concealed more than two, but the charges only related to two.) Porter was found guilty and fined £500 and to be held at Newgate for 12 months or until he had paid his fine.<ref>"Admiralty Sessions" Times [London, England] 30 Nov. 1811: 3. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 22 Mar. 2018.</ref> It is not clear who paid the fine, if they did, and whether Porter spent any time in prison.

Porter became a prominent sea captain, operating a small fleet out of his own yard at Liverpool. Other members of the Porter family sailed for the British East India Company (e.g. his cousin, George Porter).Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Australia

In the late 1830s he suffered substantial losses at sea, which his son said were behind his decision to migrate.<ref>W.F. Porter, ‘How Captain Porter Came to S.A. and New Zealand’, Waikato, 1907.</ref> Porter sold his shipyard in Liverpool and took two of his ships, Porter, and Dorset, provisioned with livestock and a range of personnel (including a doctor, tutors and servants), so that he could set up a relatively self-sufficient farming station in South Australia. He was accompanied by his wife, a son and daughter, William and Alice and an adult son Richard and his wife.

Porter himself captained his namesake, Porter (a 252-ton (bm) brig), which he had built in 1824 and which had been strengthened so that it would be fit for the hazardous voyage. Upon arrival, he used this vessel to set up a shipping service from Port Lincoln and Adelaide to and from other Australian ports. Porter also built Dorset (95 tons) in 1838, specifically as a back-up ship for the journey to Australia. This he sold upon arrival.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Porter's expedition arrived at Adelaide in early 1839. A special survey was authorised by the Governor for Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula and Porter was an investor in the survey company that took out the licence. He received land there as a consequence. The Porter moved the family to this new settlement in 1839. The Dorset by now in other ownership brought other settlers. The party was just one of three to arrive with settlers for the district in the 1830s and 1840s. It became apparent to him that Adelaide would be the main settlement in South Australia and that immediate prospects for Port Lincoln would be limited.<ref>First South Australian Colonial Census, 26 February 1844.</ref> Impatient for success, he decided to forego the significant investment and effort he had made in the fledgling settlement (e.g. building a house, establishing a bank and donating to a proposed Church of England). He abandoned the settlement in 1840. Although Porter's tenure in Port Lincoln only lasted 18 months, he had, nevertheless, been appointed the first Magistrate of the Eyre Peninsula and his family left its name at 'Porter Bay'.

New Zealand

Template:NZ parlbox header Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox footer In May 1841, Porter arrived in Auckland, New Zealand. He built a house and store on Auckland's waterfront and commenced trading from there with stock brought on the Porter. He also invested in land in and around Auckland and bought interests in land claims from before 1840.<ref>Recollections of a Voyage to South Australia and New Zealand Commenced in 1838. William Porter, Recorded at Huntly, 1907, Transcribed and edited by Miranda Field Law and Garry Law, Maruiwi Press 2007.</ref> Later he developed a farm at Kohimarama.<ref>Delving into the past of Auckland's eastern suburbs, Section 4 Mission Bay, Section 5 Kohimarama, E. T Jackson 1967, privately published.</ref>

In 1841 Governor Willam Hobson appointed Porter to his first Legislative Council, a small body with only an advisory role. Here Porter was closely involved in early attempts to deal with land claims from before 1840, a central issue in the early governance of New Zealand.

Porter served in the 1st New Zealand Parliament as representative for the Suburbs of Auckland electorate from Template:NZ election link year to 1855, when he retired, but did not serve in any further Parliaments. He also served on the Auckland Provincial Council.Template:Sfn He was on the first Council of the Auckland Museum.

Porter died on 30 March 1869 at Mangatangi, Waikato.Template:Sfn

References

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