Porter King


Porter King is an American attorney and politician who is known primarily for having been Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, 1895-1897.

Biography

Born in Marion, Alabama, he attended Howard College and graduated in 1878. He studied law at University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
King moved in 1882 to Atlanta, the capital of Georgia, where he set up a law practice. He also entered politics, joining the Democratic Party. In 1889 he was elected to represent the Sixth Ward in the city council. In 1894 King was elected as the 34th Mayor of the city, serving one term from 1895 to 1897. Although reluctant to run for any other office, he was persuaded to run for the Georgia General Assembly in 1900, and won. King served one week but resigned and returned to private life. After leaving office, he died later that year from a "stroke of apoplexy" suffered at home.