Gilchrist Porter (November 1, 1817 – November 1, 1894) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as a U.S. Representative from Missouri from 1851 to 1853, then again from 1855 to 1857.

Gilchrist Porter
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 2nd district
In office
March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
Preceded byAlfred W. Lamb
Succeeded byThomas L. Anderson
In office
March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853
Preceded byWilliam Van Ness Bay
Succeeded byAlfred W. Lamb
Personal details
Born(1817-11-01)November 1, 1817
Windsor, Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 1, 1894(1894-11-01) (aged 77)
Hannibal, Missouri, U.S.
Resting placeRiverside Cemetery
Political partyOpposition
Other political
affiliations
Whig
ProfessionPolitician, lawyer, jurist

Early life and education

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Born in Windsor, near Fredericksburg, Virginia, Porter received a limited schooling. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Bowling Green, Missouri. He owned slaves.[1]

Congress

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Porter was elected as a Whig to the Thirty-second Congress (March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853). He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1852 to the Thirty-third Congress.

Porter was elected as an Opposition Party candidate to the Thirty-fourth Congress (March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857). He served as chairman of the Committee on Private Land Claims (Thirty-fourth Congress). From 1866 to 1880 he was a Missouri circuit judge.

Later career and death

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He resumed the practice of law until his death, which occurred in Hannibal, Missouri on November 1, 1894. He was interred in Riverside Cemetery.

References

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  1. ^ "Congress slaveowners", The Washington Post, 2022-01-19, retrieved 2022-07-10

Sources

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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 2nd congressional district

1851–1853
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's 2nd congressional district

1855–1857
Succeeded by