Frederick Adolphus Porcher (January 16, 1809 – October 15, 1888) was an American politician and educator.

Early life

Frederick Adolphus Porcher was born on January 16, 1809, at Cedar Spring plantation near

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. He spent his early years in

Pineville, North Carolina Pineville (; locally ) is a suburban town in the southernmost portion of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, United States. Part of the Charlotte metropolitan area, it is situated in the Waxhaws region between Charlotte and Fort Mill. As of ...

. He graduated from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1828.

Career

Porcher served as a member of the

South Carolina General Assembly The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and ...

in 1831. He served several terms. Leaving politics, he also tried to farm. In 1849, he became a professor of

Belles Lettres () is a category of writing, originally meaning beautiful or fine writing. In the modern narrow sense, it is a label for literary works that do not fall into the major categories such as fiction, poetry, or drama. The phrase is sometimes used pej ...

and History at the

College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th-oldest institution of higher lea ...

. He continued teaching until 1881. He then lectured to advanced classes until his ill prevented him in 1886. Porcher was one of the founders of the

South Carolina Historical Society The South Carolina Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization founded in 1855 to preserve South Carolina's rich historical legacy. The SCHS is the state's oldest and largest private repository of books, letters, journals, maps, ...

and served as its president from 1856 until his death. He wrote a history of

Craven County Craven County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 100,720. Its county seat is New Bern, North Carolina, New Bern. The county was ...

Personal life

Porcher had at least three daughters. He died on October 15, 1888.

References

External links

*
Porcher family papers
, South Carolina Historical Society

College of Charleston {{DEFAULTSORT:Porcher, Frederick Adolphus 1809 births 1888 deaths Politicians from Charleston, South Carolina People from Pineville, North Carolina College of Charleston faculty American Anglo-Catholics Yale College alumni 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly