Charles Howell Porter was a U.S. Representative

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 from Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

.

Born in Cairo, New York

Cairo, New York

Cairo, New York may refer to:*Cairo , New York, located in Greene County*Cairo , New York, located within the Town of Cairo...

, Porter completed preparatory studies.
He was graduated from the law university at Albany, New York

Albany, New York

Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

, in 1853.
He was admitted to the bar in 1854 and commenced practice in Ashland, New York

Ashland, New York

Ashland is the name of some places in the U.S. state of New York:*Ashland, Chemung County, New York*Ashland, Greene County, New York...

.
He entered the Union Army

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 in 1861 as a member of the First Regiment, New York Mounted Rifles.
He settled in Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

.
He served as city attorney for one year.
Commonwealth attorney 1863-1867.
He moved to Richmond, Virginia

Richmond, Virginia

Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...

, in 1867.
He served as member of the constitutional convention of Virginia in 1867 and 1868.
Upon the readmission of Virginia to representation was elected as a Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

 to the Forty-first and Forty-second Congresses and served from January 26, 1870, to March 3, 1873.
He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1872.
He engaged in the practice of law in New York City and Beacon, New York.
He died in Cairo, New York

Cairo, New York

Cairo, New York may refer to:*Cairo , New York, located in Greene County*Cairo , New York, located within the Town of Cairo...

, July 9, 1897.
He was interred in Cairo Cemetery.

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