William J. Porter

William James Porter
1st United States Ambassador to Algeria
In office
November 29, 1962  July 29, 1965
President
Preceded byDiplomatic relations established
Succeeded byJohn D. Jernegan
8th United States Ambassador to South Korea
In office
August 23, 1967  August 18, 1971
President
Preceded byWinthrop G. Brown
Succeeded byPhilip C. Habib
United States Ambassador to Canada
In office
March 13, 1974  December 16, 1975
President
Preceded byAdolph W. Schmidt
Succeeded byThomas O. Enders
6th United States Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
In office
December 22, 1975  May 27, 1977
President
Preceded byJames E. Akins
Succeeded byJohn C. West
7th Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
In office
February 2, 1973  February 18, 1974
PresidentRichard Nixon
Preceded byU. Alexis Johnson
Succeeded byJoseph J. Sisco
Personal details
Born(1914-09-01)September 1, 1914
Stalybridge, England
DiedMarch 15, 1988(1988-03-15) (aged 73)
Fall River, Massachusetts, U.S.
Citizenship
  • United Kingdom
  • United States (from 1936)
Alma materBoston College
ProfessionDiplomat, Career Ambassador
Awards President's Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service (1967)

William James Porter (September 1, 1914 – March 15, 1988) was a British-American diplomat who from 1971 to 1973 headed the U.S. delegation to the Paris Peace Talks to end the Vietnam War. Porter was the first-ever United States Ambassador to Algeria, and also served as Ambassador to South Korea, United States Ambassador to Canada, and Saudi Arabia.