William Porter (Attorney General)

Porter's family's liberal convictions, as well as his own, put him in line for such an opportunity, and in 1839 he was appointed as Attorney General of the Cape of Good Hope.

[1] Porter arrived in the Cape Colony, bringing what he called "an unspeakable hatred of oppression of every kind", and set about promoting equal rights and justice for all, regardless of race or class.

[1] The constitution prohibited discrimination on the basis of race and made provision for a franchise system where whites and blacks voted on equal terms and without distinction.

[1][6] Here the local leader John Molteno, who shared Porter's political views, had achieved a degree of parliamentary control, and was using this electoral base to push for the next stage in independence from Britain, a locally-accountable executive, or "Responsible Government".

[1] He retired from politics in 1873 and returned to Ireland, leaving a prosperous, democratic, and stable Cape Colony with a rapidly growing economy.