Career

Porter was a business associate of Lord Carteret

John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville

John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 7th Seigneur of Sark, KG, PC , commonly known by his earlier title as Lord Carteret, was a British statesman and Lord President of the Council from 1751 to 1763.-Family:...

, and in 1741 joined the staff of the English embassy to Austria, in Vienna, and then became British ambassador to the Sublime Porte of the Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...

 in Istanbul

Istanbul

Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...

. He served in this position for 15 years, from 1747 to 1762.

His appointment stemmed from his connections with Carteret, Sir Thomas Robinson, ambassador in Vienna, and Mr Amyand of the Levant Company

Levant Company

The Levant Company, or Turkey Company, was an English chartered company formed in 1581, to regulate English trade with Turkey and the Levant...

 of merchants in Constantinople.

A self-educated man of science, during his time in Constantinople

Constantinople

Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...

 he wrote papers on astronomy and geology, as well as publishing his memoirs, a detailed and comprehensive description of life in Turkey.

Upon leaving Constantinople Porter became British minister in Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 from 1762-1765 and, finding the lifestyle there too expensive, retired to Richmond, near London, where his associates included a friend from his travels in Turkey, Lord Besborough.

Porter married into the Hochpied dynasty of Dutch diplomats in the city and his son George became Baron de Hochpied, Baron and Magnat of Hungary, and Lieutenant-General.