John Wilmer Porter

Born October 12, 1915, John Wilmer Porter was raised in the Batestown neighborhood of Dumfries. After attending the Cabin Branch School, he was hired at a local car dealership and became skilled in auto body repair. In 1945, after a wartime job with the Navy and marriage to Mary Glaze, he opened his own shop in Dumfries. Porter Brothers Auto Body Shop thrived for 35 years. In 1962, Wilmer was encouraged to run, was elected, and re-elected 10 times to a Dumfries Town Council seat. He became the first black person voted onto a municipal governing body in Virginia since Reconstruction. He served Dumfries for 19 years with honesty, integrity, and compassion until his retirement in 1980. Wilmer earned the respect of the entire community, which continued long after his death on April 24, 2001. On May 15, 2018, the new Dumfries Town Hall was named the John Wilmer Porter Municipal Building in his honor.

Dumfries, Virginia · United States