John Scott Porter

John Scott Porter (1801–1880) was an Irish biblical scholar and Unitarian minister. Life He was eldest son of William Porter (1774–1843), a Presbyterian minister, by his first wife, Mary, daughter of Charles Scott, born at Newtownlimavady, County Londonderry, Ireland on 31 December 1801; the barrister William Porter (1805–1880) was a younger brother, and the minister Classon Emmett Porter (1814–1885) a half-brother. After schools at Dirtagh and Derry, he was admitted as a student for the ministry under the care of Strabane presbytery. He took his arts course at the Belfast Academical Institution in 1817–19 and 1821–3, acting in the interim as tutor in a private family in County Kilkenny. In 1823–5 he studied Hebrew and divinity under Thomas Dix Hincks and Samuel Hanna. Porter was licensed in October 1825 by Bangor presbytery, without subscription. On 1 January 1826 he received a unanimous call from the Presbyterian congregation in Carter Lane, Doctors' Commons, London, and was ordained there on 2 March, in succession to John Hoppus. His views were Arian, and he became the editor (1826–8) of an Arian monthly, the Christian Moderator; but he was in friendly relations with Thomas Belsham, the leader of those of Joseph Priestley's opinion. With David Davidson, minister at the Old Jewry, Scott Porter kept a school at Rosoman House, Islington; among his pupils was Dion Boucicault. In January 1829 he declined a call to the second Presbyterian church of Belfast, to which a cousin, John Porter (1800–1874), was appointed. He accepted a call (11 September 1831) to the first Presbyterian church of Belfast, and was installed on 2 February 1832 by the Presbytery of Antrim as successor to William Bruce (1757–1841), and colleague to William Bruce (1790–1868) His ministry at Belfast included an early public discussion (14–17 April 1834) on the unitarian controversy with Daniel Bagot, and the arguments on both sides were issued in a joint publication.