John Porter, 1953-2021

10 November 2021

It is with great sadness that we have learned of the death of John Porter, an alumnus of Hertford College who matriculated in 1971 to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

John had been a valued friend of the college and a keen supporter of academic support for undergraduates through the Porter Fellow for Academic Skills.

Most recently, we were honoured to announce a landmark partnership with the John Porter Charitable Foundation, which will transform our provision for graduate students. Principal Tom Fletcher said that “we will work to ensure that the John Porter Graduate Centre and Porter Centre for Diplomacy will be a fitting legacy for a man who valued the power of education to change lives.”

Speaking in October, John said that “we see this partnership as the beginning of an era of great growth and impact for Hertford.” We are only sorry that we will not now have the opportunity to welcome John back to the college to see the impact his philanthropy will have.