Porter, David Dixon (1813-1891)

US naval officer. He helped to plan a naval offensive against New Orleans and received the surrender of the Confederate forts there (1862). In command of the Mississippi Squadron (1862-64), he ferried Ulysses S Grant's army across the Mississippi River, leading to the capture of Vicksburg (1863). He commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron (1864-65) and launched troops to capture Confederate Fort Fisher in Wilmington, North Carolina He was superintendent of the Naval Academy (1865-69) and adviser to the secretary of the navy (1869-70). He became a full admiral in 1870 and was the senior American naval officer until his death.

He was born in Chester, Pennsylvania. He went to sea at age ten (1823) and served as a midshipman in the Mexican navy (1826-29) before he joined the US Navy (1829). He served as a lieutenant in the Mexican War, and after a furlough (1849-55) he returned to active service and became a commander in the Union navy in 1861.