Alvin A. Porter
Early Life
Alvin Archibald Porter was born on August 19, 1888, in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of William H. Porter and Adeline “Addie” Ramsey. He was raised in Massachusetts, spending his early years in Cambridge, where his father died in 1906, leaving the family during his youth.
By the time of his World War I draft registration in 1917, Porter had relocated to Rye, New York, where he was living at the Rye Hotel on Purchase Street. He was employed as a contractor and was associated with the Rye Beach Amusement Company, placing him within the entertainment and development activity surrounding the waterfront and early amusement enterprises in Rye.
World War I Service
Porter registered for the World War I draft in 1917 in Rye, New York, at the age of 28. At that time, he reported that he was married with two young children dependent upon him for support.
Available records do not confirm subsequent active military service, unit assignment, or overseas deployment. It is possible that his family responsibilities or other factors affected his eligibility for service, but no definitive military record has been identified.
Although his direct service record remains unclear, his name appears among those recognized on the World War I memorial plaques at the Rye, New York Memorial Flagpole, confirming his inclusion within the community’s commemoration of the war generation.
Life After Service
Following the World War I period, Porter returned to Massachusetts, where he continued his life and work. He was involved in entertainment and performance, at times associated with circus operations, reflecting a career that differed from many of his contemporaries and connected him to the traveling entertainment industry of the early twentieth century.
He was married to Mary J. Maderios, and together they had four sons: Alvin William Porter, Frank A. Porter, Victor M. Porter, and Robert J. Porter.
Later in life, he resided in Washington, D.C., and ultimately in Alexandria, Virginia, where he spent his final years.
Alvin A. Porter died on November 7, 1969, in Alexandria, Virginia, at the age of 81.
At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Mary J. Porter; his sons, Alvin William Porter, Frank A. Porter, Victor M. Porter, and Robert J. Porter; and extended family.