George Richardson Porter facts for kids

George Richardson Porter (born in 1792, died in 1852) was an English expert in statistics. He became the leader of the statistics department at the Board of Trade, which was a government office dealing with business and trade.

About George Porter's Life

George Porter was born in London in 1792. His father was a merchant. George first tried working as a sugar-broker, but it didn't go well. After that, he became very interested in economics (how money and goods work) and statistics (collecting and analyzing numbers).

In 1831, he wrote an article about life assurance (a type of insurance that pays out money when someone dies) for a publication called Companion to the Almanac. A year later, in 1832, a government official named George Eden asked Charles Knight, a publisher, to help organize information from government reports. Knight couldn't do it, but he suggested George Porter for the job.

In 1834, the statistical department of the Board of Trade was officially created, and George Porter was put in charge. This meant he was responsible for collecting and understanding lots of important numbers about Britain's economy and people. Later, in 1841, he became a joint secretary of the Board of Trade, which was a very important position.

George Porter believed in free trade, which means he thought countries should trade with each other without many rules or taxes. He was also one of the people who helped start the Statistical Society in 1834. This society was a group for people who studied statistics. He became a vice-president and treasurer of this society. He was also a member of other important groups, including the Fellow of the Royal Society.

George Porter passed away on September 3, 1852, in Royal Tunbridge Wells. He was buried there. Sadly, he died because of a bee sting on his knee that led to a very serious infection.

George Porter's Important Works

George Porter wrote many important books and papers about statistics and economics. His most famous work was called The Progress of the Nation in its various Social and Economical Relations, from the beginning of the Nineteenth Century to the present time. This book looked at how Britain had changed and grown in terms of its society and economy from the early 1800s up to his time. It was published three times, showing how important it was.

He also wrote other books and articles, including:

• The Effect of Restrictions on the Importation of Corn: This book looked at how rules about bringing corn into the country affected landowners, farmers, and workers.
• The Nature and Properties of the Sugar Cane: This book was about how sugar cane grows and how sugar is made from it. A later edition also included information about making sugar from beetroot.
• Popular Fallacies regarding General Interests: This was a translation of a book by another writer, Frédéric Bastiat, which talked about common mistaken ideas about how the economy works.
• A Manual of Statistics: This was a guide to statistics, which was part of a larger scientific book.

George Porter's Family Life

George Porter married Sarah Ricardo (1791–1862). Sarah was also a writer, and she focused on education. She was the sister of a very famous economist named David Ricardo.

Sarah Porter wrote several books about education, including:

• Conversations on Arithmetic: A book to help people learn arithmetic.
• On Infant Schools for the Upper and Middle Classes: This discussed schools for young children.
• The Expediency and the Means of elevating the Profession of the Educator in public estimation: This book talked about how to make teaching a more respected job.

George and Sarah Porter had at least three children: Esther (born in 1815), George Ricardo (born in 1818), and Frances (born in 1821). Sarah Porter passed away in 1862.