JAMES BERRY PORTER

The following bio was taken from page 349 of the book entitled “Rusk County History” compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Cemeteries of Tx

 James Berry Porter and Sara Katherine Porter were both born and reared in Rusk County.  They attended and graduated from Henderson High School and Kilgore College.  James received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Baylor University and then graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1967.  Kathy received a bachelor’s degree in business education from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1966.

 The son of the late James Russell Porter and Pauline Porter, James grew up as a farmboy, helping his father work with cattle and around auction barns.  He decided early in life on a career in public service and considered a law degree to be the best preparation.

 Kathy, daughter of the late James Douglas Maloney and Dorothy Maloney, also grew up on a farm in the Oak Hill Community.  She and James first met while working for a local firm during the summers of their college years.  They were married in 1966 in the Oak Hill Methodist Church.  While in Austin during James’ last year in law school, Kathy taught at Durham Business College.  While in law school, James worked part-time at the Texas State Library

 After admission to the State Bar in 1967, James accepted a position with an oil company and lived in Corpus Christi one year and in Houston two years.  In Houston, the first family blessing came – Heather Gay Porter, in 1969.

 Being unable to stay away from Rusk County any longer, the Porters returned in 1971.  James became an instructor at Kilgore College and also served as City Judge of Henderson from 1972 – 1974.  In 1974 he was elected as County Judge.  The second blessed addition came in 1973 – Erin Kathleen Porter. 

The Porters are members of the First Presbyterian Church in Henderson where James serves as a trustee.  As a family, they enjoy picnicking, walking in the woods with the family dog, Lucy, popping corn and sitting by the fireplace on a cold night, going to movies, and reading.

 The Porters’ hopes for the future are for continued family closeness, for a county that is prosperous but which maintains its ties to the soil and its respect for the simple virtues of life where neighbor continues to help neighbor.

 Submitted by Kathy Porter