Wilbur F. Porter was born in June of 1832, the son of Andrew and Sally Parkhurst Porter in the town of Schuyler, Herkimer County. His parents moved to Jefferson County in 1842 settling in the town of Theresa. Mr. Porter moved to Cape Vincent and continued his academic education and commenced the study of law while teaching school there. He moved to Watertown in 1860 and clerked in the offices of Attorneys Bagley & Wright. He was admitted to the Bar in 1875.
He became interested in the affairs of the Village of Watertown and, after the village became a City, was elected Mayor in 1872 and re-elected in 1873.
In 1876, Democrats again placed the dependable Mr. Porter on the ballot and he won a third term as Mayor. He was nominated again for Mayor of Watertown on the Union ticket in 1889 and was elected by a nearly unanimous vote. He was re-elected for another term in 1890 on the Democratic ticket.
Mr. Porter was prominent in local and State Democratic politics for many years. Described as a clean, honest conscientious man in politics, in 1891, while serving as Mayor, he was nominated for Congress against Gen. Newton Martin Curtis of Ogdensburg but was defeated in the primary by a narrow margin. Because of his excellent showing in that election, one of Gov. Roswell P. Flower's first acts after being elected was to appoint Mr. Porter as a Judge in the State Court of Claims. He was nominated to run for lieutenant Governor in 1896 on a ticket with Albany Mayor John Boyd Thacher.
He was again nominated and elected to the office of Mayor in 1900, a position he held until his death in 1901.
He was married to Louisa Burton and they had one son, Charles G. Porter.
Mr. Porter died at his home on Massey Street in the City of Watertown on May 21, 1901 at the age of 69. He is buried at Brookside Cemetery.
