Graham Leigh Porter
Graham Leigh Porter (1883-1941)
1941 Obituary [1]
GRAHAM LEIGH PORTER, the son of a tea planter, was born in Ceylon on the 3rd July, 1883.
He received his general education at George Watson's College, Edinburgh, his electrical engineering education at Heriot-Watt College in that city, and his practical training as Junior Assistant Engineer for two years with the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Co.
His first appointment, in February, 1906, was as electrical assistant in the Signalling Department of the North-Eastern Railway Co. In this capacity he was responsible for electric power and electro-pneumatic installations, locking circuits for swing bridges, etc.
He left the railway service two years later to take up an appointment as Assistant Distribution Engineer with the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Electric Supply Co., with whose interests he continued to be concerned when he joined in 1920 the staff of their Consulting Engineers, Messrs. Merz and McLellan.
In 1927 he severed his long association with the North-East Coast to become Advisory Engineer in the employ of Ferranti, Ltd., in which capacity he advised the designing staff as to users' requirements and also assisted customers in selecting the best methods of meeting their requirements.
At the time of his death, which occurred on the 22nd September, 1941, he was one of the senior engineers of the Company. Quick in gesture and in thought, he was gifted with an analytical mind and a clarity of expression which caused his advice to be widely sought. He had a gentleness of manner and a youthfulness of spirit that endeared him to all, and he always enjoyed an outstanding popularity among his younger associates. He leaves a widow, two sons, and a daughter.
He joined The Institution as a Student in 1904, and was elected an Associate Member in 1909 and a Member in 1928. For many years he served on the Committees of the North-Eastern and North-Western Centres and was Chairman of the latter Centre in 1936-37.