Porritt, Lord (1900-1994), served as governor general of New Zealand from 1967 to 1972. He was the first New Zealander to hold this post. Trained as a physician, he became a member of the royal medical household, who are eminent members of the medical profession upon whom the royal family can call when necessary, and was appointed sergeant surgeon to Queen Elizabeth II in 1952. He later served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons, the British Medical Association, and the Royal Society of Medicine.
Porritt was also a renowned athlete, and he broke many records as a sprinter. He was captain of the New Zealand Olympic team in 1924, winning a bronze medal in the 100 meters. He was team captain again in 1928 and managed the team in 1936. Porritt became a member of the International Olympic Committee in 1935 and chairman of the British Empire and Commonwealth Games Federation in 1948.
Arthur Espie Porritt was born on Aug. 10, 1900, in Wanganui, in the North Island. He studied at the University of Otago and won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University, England. He was made a British peer in 1973. He died on Jan. 1, 1994, in London.
