Peter Buell Porter

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Peter Buell Porter, painting by Daniel Huntington (1873)

Peter Buell Porter (born August 14, 1773 in Salisbury , Litchfield County , Colony of Connecticut , †  March 20, 1844 in Niagara Falls , New York ) was an American politician , general and secretary of war .

biography

Peter Buell Porter attended Yale University and studied law . He settled in New York State, where he first lived in Canandaigua and later in Black Rock and worked partly in the state administration, partly in a company that specialized in the transport of goods on the Niagara River . 1809 Porter was a member of the Democratic-Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives voted and was there along with Henry Clay of the leading representatives of the so-called "hawks was" the war to conquer. British - Canada's favor. At the same time, however, Porter also recognized the failures of the administration of President James Madison in preparing for war and the poor condition of the US Army , but could not get his way through his suggestions for improvement.

After the outbreak of the war of 1812 with Great Britain Porter was first quartermaster general of the militia of New York from May to October 1812 and then received a field command as brigadier general in the "Army of the Center" under the command of Major General Alexander Smyth . As such, he participated in Smyth's unsuccessful operations on the Niagara River , which culminated in an embarrassing debacle with the Battle of Frenchman's Creek , and sharply criticized Smyth, whom he publicly described as a coward. Since Smyth countered with the accusation that Porter only wanted the war in order to personally enrich himself with supply contracts with the US Army, a duel between the two ensued, but it was bloodless. Porter raised a militia brigade, which included Indians, and took part in the invasion of Canada, the battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane, and the defense of Fort Erie in 1814 under Maj. Gen. Jacob Brown and Brigadier General Winfield Scott . The Congress awarded him for his achievements in these battles a gold medal.

From 1814 to 1816 he was again in Congress and from 1816 to 1822 was a member of the Border Commission with Canada, the establishment of which had been agreed by the Peace of Ghent . 1816/1817 he held the office of Secretary of State of New York and ran for election in 1817 for governor , but was defeated by DeWitt Clinton . President John Quincy Adams appointed him Minister of War in his cabinet in 1828 , but Porter only held the office until 1829. After retiring, he retired into private life and died on March 20, 1844 in Niagara Falls.

literature

  • Joseph A. Grande: The Political Career of Peter Buell Porter, 1797-1829. Ph.D. diss., University of Notre Dame, 1971
  • Daniel Dean Roland: Peter Buell Porter and Self-Interest in American Politics. Ph.D. diss., Claremont Graduate School, 1990.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Porter, Peter Buell
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician and general, Secretary of War
DATE OF BIRTH August 14, 1773
PLACE OF BIRTH Salisbury , Connecticut
DATE OF DEATH March 20, 1844
Place of death Niagara Falls , New York