PORTER, ALBERT S. (29 Nov. 1904-7 Jan. 1979), Cuyahoga County engineer for 29 years and county Democratic party chairman for 6 years, was born in Portsmouth, Va. to Albert S. and Lena Edmonds Porter. He moved with his family to LAKEWOOD in 1913, graduated from Lakewood High School in 1922 and from Ohio State University with his B.S. in civil engineering in 1928. In 1929 he joined the Cleveland Highway Research Bureau, becoming chief assistant to county engineer John O. McWilliams in 1933, where he remained until 1947, with time out for 5 years of Navy service during WORLD WAR II. After McWilliams's resignation in 1947, Porter became county engineer, serving in that capacity for almost 30 years. During his tenure, much of the freeway system linking Cleveland to its suburbs was built. Porter was active in Democratic politics, becoming county chairman of the Democratic party in 1963 upon the resignation of RAY T. MILLER, serving until 1969. He was defeated for reelection as county engineer in 1976. The following year, Porter was indicted by a Cuyahoga County Grand Jury following a series of articles in THE PLAIN DEALER by reporter Amos Kermisch, detailing the operations of a scheme that required employees to kickback 2% of their salaries every pay day. As a result of this investigation, he pleaded guilty to 19 counts of theft in office, was fined $10,000, and was placed on probation for 2 years. Porter married Genevieve Shaveyco in 1949, and the couple had a son, Alan, and a daughter, Carol. Porter's eldest child, a son, Lee, was from a previous marriage, which ended in divorce. Porter died 7 Jan. 1979, in Hillcrest Hospital.
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