Dana Harris Porter (January 14, 1901 – May 13, 1967) was a Canadian politician and jurist. Porter was a member of the Ontario Legislature from 1943 to 1958 serving as a representative for Toronto St. George and was appointed Chief Justice in 1958. He was the first chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
Early life and education
Porter was born January 14, 1901, in Toronto. His father, Dr. George Porter, was the director of health services at the University of Toronto and his brother was hockey player John Porter, who went on to serve as executive vice-president at Simpsons. He continued his studies in England at Balliol College, Oxford from which he graduated with a master's degree in 1923. He returned to Toronto where he earned a law degree from Osgoode Hall.
Porter was the first chancellor of the University of Waterloo, serving from 1960 to 1966. The university's arts library was named the Dana Porter Arts Library following Porter's death in 1967.
Personal life
Porter married his wife Dorothy (née Parker) in 1929. Together they had two sons - Dana Jr. and Julian. The funeral was held on May 16 at the Metropolitan United Church in Toronto. Led by Reverend Arthur B. B. Moore, nearly 1,000 were in attendance. Among the 23 honorary pallbearers were former prime minister John Diefenbaker, former Ontario premier John Robarts and author Claude Bissell. Following the service, Porter's body was interred at Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
See also
- List of University of Waterloo people