Russell W. Porter (1871 – 1949) was an American amateur astronomer and explorer. He is sometimes referred to as the "founder of amateur telescope making".
After desiging modest sized amateur telescopes, he was hired to help with the design of a 200 inch telescope for the Mount Palomar Observatory. His drawings for this project were exceptional, and were as good as blueprints. He also made conceptual designs for the Griffith Observatory and served as a consultant to the architects.
A crater on Mars was named in his honor.
External links and references
[1] "A History of Griffith Observatory"