Son of Harden Porter and Catherine A. Scherer, husband of Lydia H. Brewster, whom he married on August 19, 1892 in Quogue, NY, and father of Robert Brewster Porter.
Husband of Lulu Burnett Raynor, whom he married on February 27, 1902 in Southampton, NY, and father of Elizabeth (married Price), Ella, Kathryn (married Reeve), and Finley Robertson Porter Jr.
In 1900, Finley Porter, aged 28, widowed, was living on Main Street, Southampton, NY, boarding in the home of Margaret Mager, who ran a boarding house. Finley was shown to be a plumber.
Obituary - Southampton - Finley Robertson Porter, a self-taught engineer who designed the Mercer Raceabout, one of the most popular pre-World War I automobiles, died at his home here over the weekend. He was 92.
Porter, who left school at 14, designed the Raceabout while employed as chief engineer for the Mercer Company of Trenton, N.J., from 1910-1914. He left the company to manufacture his own automobile, the FRP, in Port Jefferson. He had produced about six of the high-priced handmade touring cars when World War I broke out. He served during the war as chief engineer for the Army's experimental base in Dayton, Ohio testing engines for new planes.
In 1919, Porter returned to Long Island and sold the plans for the FRP as well as the parts on hand to the American and British Manufacturing Corp., in Bridgeport, Conn. The company called the car it produced the Porter and hired Porter's son, Robert, as chief engineer. The Porter, which sold for $10,000 to $15,000, was one of the most powerful stock cars of its day. Between the wars, the elder Porter worked as an independent consulting engineer in New York.
Also - Southampton (UP) - Finley Robertson Porter, 92, pioneer airplane and automobile engineer, died Saturday at his home.
A native of Lowell, Ohio, Porter was chief engineer (1910-1915) of the old Mercer Auto Co., which had its main plant in Trenton, N.J. He designed the once famous Mercer "Raceabout", forerunner of today's sports cars.
During World War I, he did experimental design and testing of airplane engines at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. During World War II, he was employed by the Bendix Co. in Rutherford, N.J.
(Long Island Surnames; 1900 US Federal Census; Finley R. Porter in the New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967, Certificate Numbers: 14241 and 3706; Newsday, Monday, February 10, 1964, page 27; The Daily Press, Utica, N.Y. 10 Feb 1964)
Husband of Lulu Burnett Raynor, whom he married on February 27, 1902 in Southampton, NY, and father of Elizabeth (married Price), Ella, Kathryn (married Reeve), and Finley Robertson Porter Jr.
In 1900, Finley Porter, aged 28, widowed, was living on Main Street, Southampton, NY, boarding in the home of Margaret Mager, who ran a boarding house. Finley was shown to be a plumber.
Obituary - Southampton - Finley Robertson Porter, a self-taught engineer who designed the Mercer Raceabout, one of the most popular pre-World War I automobiles, died at his home here over the weekend. He was 92.
Porter, who left school at 14, designed the Raceabout while employed as chief engineer for the Mercer Company of Trenton, N.J., from 1910-1914. He left the company to manufacture his own automobile, the FRP, in Port Jefferson. He had produced about six of the high-priced handmade touring cars when World War I broke out. He served during the war as chief engineer for the Army's experimental base in Dayton, Ohio testing engines for new planes.
In 1919, Porter returned to Long Island and sold the plans for the FRP as well as the parts on hand to the American and British Manufacturing Corp., in Bridgeport, Conn. The company called the car it produced the Porter and hired Porter's son, Robert, as chief engineer. The Porter, which sold for $10,000 to $15,000, was one of the most powerful stock cars of its day. Between the wars, the elder Porter worked as an independent consulting engineer in New York.
Also - Southampton (UP) - Finley Robertson Porter, 92, pioneer airplane and automobile engineer, died Saturday at his home.
A native of Lowell, Ohio, Porter was chief engineer (1910-1915) of the old Mercer Auto Co., which had its main plant in Trenton, N.J. He designed the once famous Mercer "Raceabout", forerunner of today's sports cars.
During World War I, he did experimental design and testing of airplane engines at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. During World War II, he was employed by the Bendix Co. in Rutherford, N.J.
(Long Island Surnames; 1900 US Federal Census; Finley R. Porter in the New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967, Certificate Numbers: 14241 and 3706; Newsday, Monday, February 10, 1964, page 27; The Daily Press, Utica, N.Y. 10 Feb 1964)
Son of Harden Porter and Catherine A. Scherer, husband of Lydia H. Brewster, whom he married on August 19, 1892 in Quogue, NY, and father of Robert Brewster Porter.
Husband of Lulu Burnett Raynor, whom he married on February 27, 1902 in Southampton, NY, and father of Elizabeth (married Price), Ella, Kathryn (married Reeve), and Finley Robertson Porter Jr.
In 1900, Finley Porter, aged 28, widowed, was living on Main Street, Southampton, NY, boarding in the home of Margaret Mager, who ran a boarding house. Finley was shown to be a plumber.
Obituary - Southampton - Finley Robertson Porter, a self-taught engineer who designed the Mercer Raceabout, one of the most popular pre-World War I automobiles, died at his home here over the weekend. He was 92.
Porter, who left school at 14, designed the Raceabout while employed as chief engineer for the Mercer Company of Trenton, N.J., from 1910-1914. He left the company to manufacture his own automobile, the FRP, in Port Jefferson. He had produced about six of the high-priced handmade touring cars when World War I broke out. He served during the war as chief engineer for the Army's experimental base in Dayton, Ohio testing engines for new planes.
In 1919, Porter returned to Long Island and sold the plans for the FRP as well as the parts on hand to the American and British Manufacturing Corp., in Bridgeport, Conn. The company called the car it produced the Porter and hired Porter's son, Robert, as chief engineer. The Porter, which sold for $10,000 to $15,000, was one of the most powerful stock cars of its day. Between the wars, the elder Porter worked as an independent consulting engineer in New York.
Also - Southampton (UP) - Finley Robertson Porter, 92, pioneer airplane and automobile engineer, died Saturday at his home.
A native of Lowell, Ohio, Porter was chief engineer (1910-1915) of the old Mercer Auto Co., which had its main plant in Trenton, N.J. He designed the once famous Mercer "Raceabout", forerunner of today's sports cars.
During World War I, he did experimental design and testing of airplane engines at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. During World War II, he was employed by the Bendix Co. in Rutherford, N.J.
(Long Island Surnames; 1900 US Federal Census; Finley R. Porter in the New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967, Certificate Numbers: 14241 and 3706; Newsday, Monday, February 10, 1964, page 27; The Daily Press, Utica, N.Y. 10 Feb 1964)
Husband of Lulu Burnett Raynor, whom he married on February 27, 1902 in Southampton, NY, and father of Elizabeth (married Price), Ella, Kathryn (married Reeve), and Finley Robertson Porter Jr.
In 1900, Finley Porter, aged 28, widowed, was living on Main Street, Southampton, NY, boarding in the home of Margaret Mager, who ran a boarding house. Finley was shown to be a plumber.
Obituary - Southampton - Finley Robertson Porter, a self-taught engineer who designed the Mercer Raceabout, one of the most popular pre-World War I automobiles, died at his home here over the weekend. He was 92.
Porter, who left school at 14, designed the Raceabout while employed as chief engineer for the Mercer Company of Trenton, N.J., from 1910-1914. He left the company to manufacture his own automobile, the FRP, in Port Jefferson. He had produced about six of the high-priced handmade touring cars when World War I broke out. He served during the war as chief engineer for the Army's experimental base in Dayton, Ohio testing engines for new planes.
In 1919, Porter returned to Long Island and sold the plans for the FRP as well as the parts on hand to the American and British Manufacturing Corp., in Bridgeport, Conn. The company called the car it produced the Porter and hired Porter's son, Robert, as chief engineer. The Porter, which sold for $10,000 to $15,000, was one of the most powerful stock cars of its day. Between the wars, the elder Porter worked as an independent consulting engineer in New York.
Also - Southampton (UP) - Finley Robertson Porter, 92, pioneer airplane and automobile engineer, died Saturday at his home.
A native of Lowell, Ohio, Porter was chief engineer (1910-1915) of the old Mercer Auto Co., which had its main plant in Trenton, N.J. He designed the once famous Mercer "Raceabout", forerunner of today's sports cars.
During World War I, he did experimental design and testing of airplane engines at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio. During World War II, he was employed by the Bendix Co. in Rutherford, N.J.
(Long Island Surnames; 1900 US Federal Census; Finley R. Porter in the New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967, Certificate Numbers: 14241 and 3706; Newsday, Monday, February 10, 1964, page 27; The Daily Press, Utica, N.Y. 10 Feb 1964)
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