Family background
Thomas Porter was born in Shropshire, England, on 30 August 1846. He was married on 26 December 1871 in Staffordshire to Eliza Brown (1852-1927). They had eight sons and four daughters. The family arrived in Sydney on 24 July 1875; his occupation recorded as a joiner. He died on 6 September 1913, aged 67 years.
Occupation & interests
Listed as a joiner in 1875, Porter was a Camperdown-based builder from 1885. As a small builder he had the flexibility to bend with market movements, shifting from repairing or jobbing to construction whenever the mood dictated by the availability of capital.
Local government service
Thomas George Porter was an alderman on Camperdown Council 1886-89, 1891-95 and 1899-1900. He was mayor in 1899-1900.
References
Evening News 15 September 1893 p. 6
Sydney Morning Herald 29 September 1893 p. 6
Sydney Morning Herald 8 September 1913 p. 7