Samuel Porter, Baron Porter

Samuel Lowry Porter, Baron Porter GBE PC QC (7 February 1877 – 13 February 1956) was a British judge.

Early life

Born in Leeds, Porter was educated at the Perse School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

World War I

Porter served in World War I, gaining the rank of captain and was appointed MBE.

Legal career

He was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1905. He was appointed King's Counsel in 1925.^[1][2]

Judicial career

Porter was appointed to be a recorder of Newcastle-under-Lyme on 18 December 1928^[3] until 1932, and of Walsall in 29 January 1932^[4] until 1934. On 7 November that year, he was appointed to the High Court^[5] and was assigned to the King's Bench Division, receiving the customary knighthood on 24 November.^[6]

Lord of Appeal in Ordinary

On 28 March 1938, he was appointed Lord of Appeal in Ordinary (without having previously served as a Lord Justice of Appeal) and created a life peer with the title Baron Porter, of Longfield in County Tyrone.^[7] On 1 April, he was sworn of the Privy Council.^[8] In 1939, he was appointed to chair the Lord Chancellor's committee on defamation law. The committee's work was delayed as a result of World War II, not producing its report until 1948. The report's conclusions were implemented by the Defamation Act 1952.^[2]

Porter sat on the appeal of William Joyce, commonly known as "Lord Haw-Haw", who had been convicted of treason for his war-time propaganda broadcasts from Nazi Germany.^[9] Porter resigned as Lord of Appeal in 1954, having been appointed to the Order of the British Empire as a Knight Grand Cross (GBE) in the 1951 New Year Honours.^[10]

Styles of address

• 1877–1925: Mr Samuel Porter
• 1925–1934: Mr Samuel Porter KC
• 1934–1938: Sir Samuel Porter KC
• 1938: The Rt Hon. The Lord Porter KC
• 1938–1951: The Rt Hon. The Lord Porter PC KC
• 1951–1952: The Rt Hon. The Lord Porter GBE PC KC
• 1952–1956: The Rt Hon. The Lord Porter GBE PC QC

References