John Porter was born in 1841 in Ohio. Other than the fact that he moved to Mt. Vernon, Iowa, before the start of the United States' Civil War, little is known about his family life or his parents. In Iowa, his occupation was farming, a duty he shared with his wife, Elizabeth C. Porter. He probably married Elizabeth after the war, due to her begin three years younger than her husband, who was only twenty or twenty-one when he enlisted in the Union Army.

He enlisted in the 24^th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment as a private. The date of his enlistment was August 8, 1862, and the date of his mustering in was September 3, 1862. The next year, after surviving the Battle of Champion's Hill, Mississippi, in May, he was promoted to the rank of 4^th Corporal. On August 1, 1863, he was promoted to 3^rd Corporal.

On June 23, 1865, due to outstanding service, he was discharged from the 24^th Iowa in Beaufort, North Carolina, for promotion in the United States Colored Infantry, Company K.

He returned home to Iowa, where he later had a daughter, Mrs. John M. Redmond (her first name could not be found). In 1908, Porter left for Roswell, New Mexico, on an errand for business. Four weeks later, on May15, he died. The cause of death was unknown, but his body was returned to Iowa, where he was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery. He was survived by his wife, Elizabeth, who lived until 1931, and his daughter, Mrs. Redmond.