Jacksonville University’s Charter Day: Who Was William J. Porter

At this point, all Dolphins know about Charter Day, made recognizable by President Cost in 2013 when he named April 16 an annual Charter Day of Service. It's the day Jacksonville University celebrates its humble beginnings with a morning dedicated to community service, campus camaraderie and afterwards, a great celebration.

But what is a charter? Why does JU's say "William J. Porter University"? Who was he? All great questions answered by a walk down memory lane with some help from the Jacksonville University archives.

A charter is a formal legal document granted by a government or authorized body (such as the state of Florida) that officially creates an institution of higher education. Jacksonville University's charter was signed on April 16, 1934 by William J. Porter and other supporters. At the time, Porter was a young lawyer with political ambitions who was determined to bring a second academic college to Jacksonville.

"Jacksonville University has always aimed to be an agent of scholarship and service to the Jacksonville community. Judge William J. Porter and his colleagues saw the community's need for an educational institution and made it a reality," said Hope Scheff, special collections coordinator at JU.

Porter was born in Alabama in 1905 and later raised in Bay County, Florida. After an accelerated education at Alabama Polytechnic Institute and Cumberland University, he passed the bar at the age of 19. After which he settled in Jacksonville and set up a law office in the St. James Building, now home to City Hall. When the Great Depression began to affect the earnings of his downtown law firm, Porter opened the Jacksonville Law School in an effort to supplement his income. Born to a family of educators, Porter enjoyed teaching and eventually became known for his untraditional curriculum of giving tests at each class, meeting three nights a week over 30 months. This affinity for pedagogy, paired with his social and political ambitions, led him to campaign support for the creation of a new university in Jacksonville.

In 1932, Porter ran for office, in 1933 he was sworn in as a Duval County Judge, and in 1934 he rallied the support of local leaders to sign the charter bringing William J. Porter University, later to be known as Jacksonville University, into being.

The University could not have come to be without four other signatures, belonging to Mary Corbin, Kenneth Friedman, Dean Boggs, and T.W. Benson. In its early years, William J. Porter University served as a two-year college offering evening classes to the North Florida region. The first classes were held in fall of 1934, in the educational rooms of First Baptist Church.

Join Jacksonville University in celebrating the 92nd anniversary of its founding at this year's Charter Day of Service, where students, faculty and staff will step away from classrooms and offices to serve the greater Jacksonville area. Mayor Donna Deegan will attend the on-campus luncheon following the morning of service.

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