William J. Porter was born in Stalybridge, England on September 1, 1914, the son of a Royal Navy officer who died during World War I. After his father's death, his mother moved to Fall River, Massachusetts to join relatives. He graduated from Boston College in 1930 and took a secretarial course at the Thibodeau College of Business Administration in Fall River 1930–32. Porter became a naturalized American citizen in 1936.