Porter, David, an American naval officer, was born at Boston, Massachusetts, 1st February 1780, the son of a naval officer who fought through the Revolution. He was appointed midshipman in 1798, and lieutenant the year after; saw service against privateers in the West Indies, and against
Tripoli in 1801-3; became captain in 1812, and captured the first British war-ship taken in the war. In 1813, with the Essex (32 guns), he nearly destroyed the English whale-fishery in the Pacific, and took possession of the Marquesas Islands; but in March 1814 his frigate was destroyed by the British in Valparaiso harbour, and Porter returned home on parole. He afterwards commanded an expedition against pirates in the West Indian waters, and was court-martialled for compelling the authorities at Porto Rico to apologise for imprisoning one of his officers. Porter resigned in 1826, and was for a time at the head of the Mexican navy. In 1829 the United States appointed him consul-general to the Barbary States, and then minister at Constantinople, where he died, 3d March 1843. Farragut, it is worth noting, was his adopted son. See the Life (1875) by his son.
DAVID DIXON PORTER, admiral of the American navy, who was born at Chester, Pennsylvania, 8th June 1813. He accompanied his father on his cruise against the pirates, and afterwards was for some time a midshipman in the Mexican service. He entered the United States navy in 1829, was employed on the coast survey from 1836 to 1841, when he became lieutenant, and then served till 1845 on the Mediterranean and Brazil stations, afterwards returning to the coast survey. From 1849 to 1853 he was engaged in command of the California mail-steamers. At the commencement of the civil war he was appointed commander of the steam-frigate Powhatan, and ordered to Pensacola; but afterwards he was placed in command of the mortar flotilla, joined Farragut, and in April 1862 successfully bombarded the New Orleans forts. In command of the Mississippi squadron, he assisted to bring about the fall of Vicksburg (July 1863). A rear-admiral, he bombarded and silenced Fort Fisher in December 1864. Till 1869 superintendent of the naval academy at Annapolis, he was made vice-admiral in 1866, and in 1870 succeeded Farragut as admiral of the navy. He died at Washington, 13th February 1891.
He was the author of three romances, of Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War (1885), and of a History of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion (1887).