Stephen Geyer Porter (May 18, 1869 – June 27, 1930) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

Biography

Porter was born near

Salem, Ohio Salem is the largest city in Columbiana County, Ohio, with a small district in southern Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 11,915. It is the principal city of the Salem micropolitan area in Northeast Ohio. It is 18 ...

. In 1877, he moved to Pennsylvania with his parents, who settled in

Allegheny, Pennsylvania Allegheny City was a municipality that existed in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania from 1788 until it was annexed by Pittsburgh in 1907. It was located north across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh, with its southwest border formed ...

(now part of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

). He attended

Allegheny High School The Allegheny High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a building from 1904. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Notable graduates include William N. Robson, award-winning writer, director, and producer from the ol ...

and studied medicine for two years, after which he studied law. He was admitted to the bar in December 1893 and commenced practice in Pittsburgh. He was city solicitor of Allegheny from 1903 to 1906. He was chairman of the Republican State convention in 1912. Porter was elected as a Republican to the Sixty-second and to the nine succeeding Congresses and served until his death. He was the Chairman of the

United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affair ...

during the Sixty-sixth through Seventy-first Congresses. He was an unsuccessful candidate for

Mayor of Pittsburgh The mayor of Pittsburgh is the chief executive of the government of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Pittsburgh. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Pittsburgh. ...

in 1913. He was appointed in 1921 to represent the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

on the advisory committee to the

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conference on armament limitations, and he represented the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

at the centennial of

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’s independence, in 1922. He was a member and chairman of the American delegation to the

Second International Conference on Opium The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds eac ...

, at

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in 1924 and 1925, although he unexpectedly withdrew the American delegation prior to the Conference's conclusion. The American delegation's proposals for more stringent drug control were rejected. Porter also served as chairman of the

House Committee on Foreign Affairs The United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the U.S. House of Representatives with jurisdiction over bills and investigations concerning the foreign affairs ...

, in which capacity he drafted the "Porter Resolution", passed by the House, which authorized the president to place the United States' relations with China on a footing of equality. He was also chairman of the

Foreign Service Buildings Commission Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United S ...

from 1926 to 1930. He died in Pittsburgh and was interred in Highwood Cemetery.

Sources

The Political Graveyard
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Stephen G. 1869 births 1930 deaths Lawyers from Pittsburgh Politicians from Pittsburgh Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania People from Salem, Ohio

Biography

See also

Sources