John Porter was born in Lower Norfolk County, Virginia in 1663 and moved to North Carolina in 1691. Porter soon involved himself in the colony's politics and served as the North Carolina attorney general from 1694 to 1695 and as a member of the North Carolina General Court in 1697 and 1698. Although Porter initially supported deputy governor Thomas Cary's removal in 1707, he later served on Cary's council from 1708 to 1711 during a period known as Cary's Rebellion. When Cary lost control of the colony, Porter was declared a traitor and fled, dying in exile in 1712.