Charles Talbot Porter (1826-1910), American mechanical engineer. He worked mainly on engines, studying their rotational speeds and ways of controlling inertial forces. He developed the isochronous centrifugal governor for ship engines in 1861. In 1862 he demonstrated the Porter-Allen high-speed engine, which incorporated his governor and J. F. Allen's cut-off valve. He also installed high-speed engines in Thomas Edison's laboratories. He was awarded the John Fritz medal.