Behind the legacy of Lafayette College is an ambitious man from Norristown, writes Frank Whelan for WFMZ.
James Madison Porter was born at Selma, his family’s estate in Norristown, and grew up hearing stories of heroism from his father, General Andrew Porter, who fought alongside Marquis de Lafayette in the Revolutionary War.
When Lafayette returned to America in 1824, Porter was determined to meet him. Depending on the source, Porter accomplished it in New York or Philadelphia. When Porter introduced himself, Lafayette lit up at the name, recalling Porter’s father and uncle as brave and kind soldiers who had aided him after he was wounded.
Inspired, Porter soon drafted a charter for a new college in Easton named in Lafayette’s honor. It would become the cornerstone of his legacy.
Porter’s accomplishments span law, politics, railroads, and war wfforts. Yet it’s education that was closest to his heart. Lafayette College remained his greatest passion.
Still, he left his mark well beyond the classroom. Porter shaped Pennsylvania’s Bill of Rights, organized militias during the War of 1812, and nearly joined a doomed naval demonstration that killed two cabinet secretaries.
Learn more about Norristown-born James Madison Porter on WFMZ.
