[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 148 (Friday, October 16, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E2230]]
                     TRIBUTE TO JOHN WILMER PORTER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 16, 1998

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
life of one of Virginia's first Civil Right's success stories, Mr. John 
Wilmer Porter. John Porter, a native of Dumfries, Virginia, because a 
beacon of progressive and enlightened through for Virginia during a 
time we now acknowledge as one of our darkest hours. In 1963, when most 
of the state was bearing the brunt of a storm of national outrage over 
its refusal to desegregate public schools, John Porter became the first 
African-American in Virginia to become an elected official since the 
era of post-Civil War Reconstruction. The people of Dumfries recognized 
an innate leadership quality in Mr. Porter that transcended any racial 
stereo type and in the fall of 1963, elected him to the position of 
Town Councilman.
  John Porter began his life in Dumfries, Virginia in 1905 as one of 
fourteen children born to the late John and Laura Reid Porter. The 
family's history is irrevocably linked to Virginia and more 
specifically to Dumfries: The Porter family John was born into are all 
direct descendants of Betsy Bates. Betsy Bates, a slave born in 
Virginia sometime between 1795 and 1805, had gained her freedom by 1830 
and her lineage and become so celebrated in Prince William County that 
the town settled by her heirs was named Batestown in her honor. I 
believe it is from this foundation of strength and honor that John 
Wilmer Porter was made.
  Beyond his meritorious service to the people of Dumfries, Mr. Porter 
was and is a dedicated husband, father and now grandfather. In 1942 
John married the late Mary Porter. Mary Porter became John's companion 
and confidante, but also distinguished herself through public service 
and her ability to transcend racial barriers as an educator. A native 
of Farmsville, Virginia, Mary Glaze Porter began her career as a 
teacher in an all-black school just before World War II. A few months 
after her husband John's election, Mary Porter was selected to be one 
of four African-American teachers to participate in a pilot 
desegregation program in the Prince William County public school 
system.
  John and Mary Porter are both true pioneers from the Civil Rights 
movement and dedicated public servants who have willingly given 
enormously of themselves (in one instance John personally co-signed for 
the loan to build the Dumfries Town Hall). John Wilmer Porter retired 
from public service in 1980, leaving behind a legacy that the people of 
Dumfries can reflect upon with pride. He was always regarded by 
supporters and detractors alike as a man of ``common sense'' and 
``superior wisdom'', two traits he has instilled in his two daughters, 
Hazel Porter Sykes and Gwendolyn Porter Washington, and his 
granddaughter, Shannon Washington and three grandsons, Chad Sykes, 
Kevin Lewis and Troy Washington.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of the Eleventh Congressional 
District, I would like to thank John Porter for his years of dedicated 
service and willingness to become the role-model of equality for 
Virginia. Indeed, he is an American of whom our entire nation can be 
proud.

                          ____________________