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Eugene Porterfield

American politician, businessman

Correspondence, annotated notebooks and portrait silhouettes prepared for research
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Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 23, 2026
Entity authorityQ5407652 ↗
Source-derived summary

Eugene Ellsworth Porterfield (born November 3, 1946) is a former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, serving from 1989 to 1996. He is also a businessman.

Early life

Eugene "Gene" Porterfield was born in Connellsville, Pennsylvania (Fayette County) on November 3, 1946. One of two children, Porterfield attended various public school systems in southwestern PA, and graduated Connellsville High School in 1964.

During high school, he worked numerous jobs, including a bowling alley and as a gas station attendant and mechanic. He then continued his work as a mechanic, an auto parts sales specialist and factory worker before enlisting in the U.S. Army.

Military service

Porterfield was stationed with the 99th Army Reserve Command (ARCOM), but never saw action in the Vietnam War. He served with B Company March, 1966–1969 to rank as Seargeant. 1969 he enlisted to OCS, Ft. Benning, GA. Returned to 99th ARCOM August, 1969-1972 2nd Lt.

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Eugene Porterfield” as american politician, businessman. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA useful biographical orientation record, particularly for establishing names, roles and a first chronology. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1946, 1989, 1996, 1964—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1946-11-03. The account is most persuasive where Eugene, Porterfield and American can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american politician, businessman. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5407652. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1946, 1989, 1996 and 1964.

Critical limits

Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.

Best used for
  • Establishing names and roles
  • Building a first chronology
  • Locating cited institutions
Verify next

Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Eugene Porterfield”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Eugene Porterfield primary sources, Eugene Porterfield archive and Eugene research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Eugene Porterfield”?
  2. How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
  3. Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Eugene Porterfield” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.