William Field Porter
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853–1855 | 1st | Suburbs of Auckland | Independent | ||
William Field Porter (1784–1869) 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.
Biography
Porter was born in London in 1784. He married Alice Roper (1790-1862) in Liverpool (1810), with whom he had four children.
Porter became a prominent sea captain, operating a small fleet out of his own yard at Liverpool. He and other members of the Porter family sailed for the British East India Company (e.g. his cousin, George Porter).[1]
In the late 1830s he suffered substantial losses at sea, which his son said were behind his decision to migrate.[2] 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.
Porter himself captained his namesake, the Porter (a 252-ton 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 and New Zealand ports. Porter also built the Dorset (95 tons) in 1838, specifically as a back-up ship for the journey to Australia. This was sold upon arrival.[3]
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.[4] Impatient for success, he decided to forego the significant investment and effort he had made in the fledgling settlement (e.g. building two houses, establishing a bank and helping build the first 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 Peninsular and his family left its name at ‘Porter Bay’.
In May 1841, Porter arrived in Auckland New Zealand. Alice was sceptical and had returned to Liverpool with their son, William Field junior. She waited until he was properly settled, before joining him in .
Porter served in the 1st New Zealand Parliament as representative for the Suburbs of Auckland electorate from 1853 to 1855, when he retired, but did not serve in any further Parliaments. He also served on the Auckland Provincial Council.[5]
Porter died on 30 March 1869 at Mangatangi, Waikato.[6]
References
- ^ S.J. Porter-Sampson, Porter...They Be Thy People, Adelaide, 1988, p. 11; J. and J. McDonald, Three William McDonalds, Canberra, 2010, pp. 119-120.
- ^ W.F. Porter, ‘How Captain Porter Came to S.A. and New Zealand’, Waikato, 1907.
- ^ S.J. Porter-Sampson, Porter...They Be Thy People, Adelaide, 1988, pp. 140-145; J. and J. McDonald, Three William McDonalds, Canberra, 2010, pp. 121-123.
- ^ First South Australian Colonial Census, 26 February 1844.
- ^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. pp. 29, 259. OCLC 154283103.
- ^ S.J. Porter-Sampson, Porter...They Be Thy People, Adelaide, 1988, p. 140.