William James Porter | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1stUnited States Ambassador toAlgeria | |
| In office November 29, 1962 – July 29, 1965 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Diplomatic relations established |
| Succeeded by | John D. Jernegan |
| 8thUnited States Ambassador toSouth Korea | |
| In office August 23, 1967 – August 18, 1971 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Winthrop G. Brown |
| Succeeded by | Philip C. Habib |
| United States Ambassador toCanada | |
| In office March 13, 1974 – December 16, 1975 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | Adolph W. Schmidt |
| Succeeded by | Thomas O. Enders |
| 6thUnited States Ambassador toSaudi Arabia | |
| In office December 22, 1975 – May 27, 1977 | |
| President |
|
| Preceded by | James E. Akins |
| Succeeded by | John C. West |
| 7thUnder Secretary of State for Political Affairs | |
| In office February 2, 1973 – February 18, 1974 | |
| President | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | U. Alexis Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Joseph J. Sisco |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1914-09-01)September 1, 1914 Stalybridge, England |
| Died | March 15, 1988(1988-03-15) (aged 73) |
| Citizenship |
|
| Alma mater | Boston College |
| Profession | Diplomat,Career Ambassador |
| Awards |  President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1967) |
William James Porter (September 1, 1914 – March 15, 1988) was a British-American diplomat who from 1971 to 1973 headed the U.S. delegation to theParis Peace Talks to end theVietnam War. Porter was the first-everUnited States Ambassador to Algeria, and also served as Ambassador toSouth Korea,United States Ambassador to Canada, andSaudi Arabia.
William J. Porter was born inStalybridge,England on September 1, 1914, the son of aRoyal Navy officer who died duringWorld War I. After his father's death, his mother moved toFall River, Massachusetts to join relatives. He graduated fromBoston College in 1930, and took a secretarial course at the Thibodeau College of Business Administration in Fall River 1930–1932. Porter became a naturalized American citizen in 1936.
After a chance meeting withUnited States Minister to HungaryJohn Flournoy Montgomery, Montgomery invited Porter to come with him toBudapest as his private secretary in 1936. The next year, 1937, Porter joined theUnited States Foreign Service. As aForeign Service Officer, Porter served inBaghdad 1937–1941;Beirut 1941–1943; andDamascus 1943–1946. While serving inSyria, he met and married Eleanore Henry, aUnited States Army nurse fromPhiladelphia, who was posted inCairo. He spent 1946–1947 at theUnited States Department of State inWashington, D.C. asPalestine Desk Officer. He returned to the field inNicosia 1947–1950. In 1951, he was special assistant to the Chief ofVoice of America, and then spent 1951–1953 as Officer-in-Charge of Greek Affairs at the State Department.
Porter spent 1953 to 1957 at the American Embassy inRabat; there, he was a first-hand witness toMoroccan independence in 1956. He was then the Director of the State Department's Office of North African Affairs from 1957 to 1961, and then Director of Voice of America 1961–1962.
In 1962,President of the United StatesJohn F. Kennedy appointed Porter as the first-everUnited States Ambassador to Algeria in the wake ofAlgerian independence. He showed such skill in handling both French and Algerian officials thatUnited States Ambassador to South VietnamHenry Cabot Lodge Jr. asked that Porter be assigned toSaigon. He served as Deputy Ambassador to South Vietnam from 1965 to 1967. In 1967, PresidentLyndon Johnson appointed PorterUnited States Ambassador to South Korea and Porter held this post until 1971.
In 1971, PresidentRichard Nixon selected Porter to replaceDavid K. E. Bruce as head of the U.S. delegation at theParis Peace Talks. Before those talks were ended, in 1973, Nixon named PorterUnder Secretary of State for Political Affairs, with Porter holding this office from February 2, 1973, until February 18, 1974. Nixon then named PorterUnited States Ambassador to Canada, with Porter filling this post from March 13, 1974, until December 16, 1975.
PresidentGerald Ford then selected Porter asUnited States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia; Porter presented his credentials on February 21, 1976, and left this post on May 27, 1977.
Porter retired toWestport Point, Massachusetts in 1977. He died ofcancer at theRose Hawthorne Lathrop Home in Fall River, Massachusetts on March 15, 1988.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by New Office | United States Ambassador to Algeria 1962 – 1963 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to South Korea 1967 – 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Canada March 13, 1974 – December 16, 1975 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia February 21, 1976 – May 27, 1977 | Succeeded by |
| Government offices | ||
| Preceded by | Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs February 2, 1973 – February 18, 1974 | Succeeded by |
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| Korea | | |
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| South Korea | ||
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