John Edward Porter
Encyclopedia
John Edward Porter is a former United States Representative from Illinois
.
Porter was born in Evanston, Illinois
, was educated in public schools, and then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
for one year before receiving a B.S.
and B.A.
from Northwestern University
in 1957. He then received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with distinction at the University of Michigan Law School
in 1961, and was admitted to the Illinois bar that same year. He also served in United States Army Reserves from 1958 to 1964.
He served two years in the United States Department of Justice
in the Honor Law Graduate Program from 1961 to 1963. He entered private practice in Evanston, Illinois from 1963 to 1979. During this time he entered politics; first by becoming a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1973 to 1979, then by running an unsuccessful first campaign for a seat in the Ninety-sixth United States Congress in 1978 against Representative Abner J. Mikva
. When Mikva resigned from Congress in 1979, Porter won a special election to succeed him and continued to serve for the next ten Congresses. He was a Representative in total from January 22, 1980 to until his retirement on January 3, 2001.
A moderate Republican
, he served as a founder and co-chair for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus for 18 years and oversaw budget appropriations for all federal health and education programs and agencies, including NIH, CDC and AHRQ.
Currently he is a partner
of the law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP http://medstrategicplan.stanford.edu/retreat06/ and serves as chairman of Research ! America, Vice Chair of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the Boards of the PBS Foundation and the First Focus
Campaign for Children http://www.firstfocus.net/AboutFirstFocus.aspx?id=4368, and a trustee for the Brookings Institution. Porter is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Bretton Woods Committee, the InterAmerican Dialogue and Council for Foreign Relations. Previously, he was Chairman of PBS and served on the boards of the RAND Corporation, the American Heart Association and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Hero of Science Award from Americans for Medical Progress
for his consistent advocacy for medical research.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
.
Porter was born in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, was educated in public schools, and then attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
for one year before receiving a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
and B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1957. He then received his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree with distinction at the University of Michigan Law School
University of Michigan Law School
The University of Michigan Law School is the law school of the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor. Founded in 1859, the school has an enrollment of about 1,200 students, most of whom are seeking Juris Doctor or Master of Laws degrees, although the school also offers a Doctor of Juridical...
in 1961, and was admitted to the Illinois bar that same year. He also served in United States Army Reserves from 1958 to 1964.
He served two years in the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
in the Honor Law Graduate Program from 1961 to 1963. He entered private practice in Evanston, Illinois from 1963 to 1979. During this time he entered politics; first by becoming a member of the Illinois House of Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives
The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Illinois. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The state House of Representatives is made of 118 representatives elected from...
from 1973 to 1979, then by running an unsuccessful first campaign for a seat in the Ninety-sixth United States Congress in 1978 against Representative Abner J. Mikva
Abner J. Mikva
Abner Joseph Mikva is a Democratic former U.S. Representative, federal judge and law professor from Chicago.-Biography:Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Mikva attended the University of Chicago Law School, from which he graduated in 1951...
. When Mikva resigned from Congress in 1979, Porter won a special election to succeed him and continued to serve for the next ten Congresses. He was a Representative in total from January 22, 1980 to until his retirement on January 3, 2001.
A moderate 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...
, he served as a founder and co-chair for the Congressional Human Rights Caucus for 18 years and oversaw budget appropriations for all federal health and education programs and agencies, including NIH, CDC and AHRQ.
Currently he is a partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
of the law firm Hogan Lovells US LLP http://medstrategicplan.stanford.edu/retreat06/ and serves as chairman of Research ! America, Vice Chair of the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. He is a member of the Boards of the PBS Foundation and the First Focus
First Focus
First Focus is a bipartisan children's advocacy organization, launched by America's Promise. The stated purpose of the organization is "making children and their families a priority in federal policy and budget decisions."...
Campaign for Children http://www.firstfocus.net/AboutFirstFocus.aspx?id=4368, and a trustee for the Brookings Institution. Porter is a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Bretton Woods Committee, the InterAmerican Dialogue and Council for Foreign Relations. Previously, he was Chairman of PBS and served on the boards of the RAND Corporation, the American Heart Association and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Involvement in science
In 2000, he was awarded The Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award "for wise and perceptive leadership on behalf of medical research funding and a deep commitment to strengthening the science enterprise." He has also received the Albert SabinAlbert Sabin
Albert Bruce Sabin was an American medical researcher best known for having developed an oral polio vaccine.-Life:...
Hero of Science Award from Americans for Medical Progress
Americans for Medical Progress
Americans for Medical Progress is a charity that aims to protect and advocate for society's investment in medical research. As a specific goal, AMP states that it promotes "public understanding of and support for the appropriate role of animals in biomedical research so that scientists are able to...
for his consistent advocacy for medical research.