Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/212

 PARKER

PARKER

congresses, 1871-75. and lield several local offices. He was nominated by acclamation for U.S. senator by the Democratic caucus of the state legislature on Jan. 14, 1897. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Tufts college in 1883.

PARKER, Isaac, jurist, was born in Boston, Mass., June 17, 176S; son of Daniel and Margaret ( Jarvis) Parker. His father, a Boston^mercliant, was a native of Charleston, S. C. Isaac Parker prepared for college at the Boston Latin school, was graduated from Harvard, A.B., 1786, A.M., 1789: taught for a time at the Latin school, and completed his law studies under Judge Tudor of Boston, practising at Castine, Maine. He was married to Rebecca Hall of Boston. He was a Federal representative in the 5th congress, 1797- 99; and was appointed U.S. marshal for the district of Maine by President John Adams in 1799, being removed on the accession of President Jefferson in 1801. He was chief justice of the supreme court of Massachusetts, 1814-30; Royall professor of law at Harvard, 1816-27, and an overseer, 1810-30. He was a trustee of Bowdoin college, 1799-1810, and president of the Massa- chusetts constitutional convention of 1820. The lionorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Harvard in 1814. He is the author of: Oration on Washington{lSOO), and Sketehofthe Character of Chief Justice Pai'sons (1813). He died in Boston. Mass.. May 26, 1830.

PARKER, Isaac Charles, jurist, was born in Belmont county. Ohio. Oct., 15, 1838; son of Joseph and Jane (Sliannon) Parker. His father was a native of Marvland, whose English ancestors were among the early settlers in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and his mother was a niece of Wilson Shannon (q.v.). He worked on his father's farm, attending the country school in winter, until 1855, when for four years he divided his time between teaching and studying law at Barnes- villa academy, Ohio. He was admitted to the bar in 1859, settled in practice in St. Joseph, Mo., was mayor and alderman, 1859-62, and city attorney, 1862-64. In 1861 he raised a company for the 1st Nebraska infantry, served with the Missouri troops as corporal, and was also provost marshal. He was a presidential elector on the Lincoln and Johnson ticket in 1864; circuit attorney of the 9th district of Missouri, 1864-66; circuit, judge 1868-70. and Republican represen- tative from Missouri in the 42d and 43d congres.ses, 1871-75. He was appointed by President Grant chief justice of Utah, and confirmed by the senate, but at the President's request declined in order to become judge of the U.S. court for Western Arkansas in 1875. and held the office until his death. His name became a terror to outlaws and fugitives who ran over the Indian

Territory and adjoining states, for he enforced the law to the letter, and imposed the death penalty upon more criminals than any other jurist in the United States. He also made a record of attendance on court without missing a day for twenty-one years, and in that time sentenced 160 murderers to be hanged. He was probabl}' the only subordinate judge that ever overruled a decision of the U.S. supreme court, which he accomplished in November, 1894, with- out receiving judicial reproof from the higher court. He died at Fort Smith, Ark. , Nov. 17, 1896. PARKER, James, representative, was born in Bethlehem, Hunterdon county, N.J., March 8, 1776; son of James and Gertrude (Skinner) Parker; grandson of Col. John (1693-1732) and Janet (Johnstone) Parker, and of the Rev. Wil- liam Skinner, and great-grandson of Elisha and Hannah (Rolph) Parker. Elisha Parker removed from Staten Island, N.Y., to Woodbridge, N. J., previous to 1675, and was high sheriff of the county of Middlesex, and a member of the Provincial Assemblj'. James Parker, Sr., .served in the French and Indian war, was one of the proprietors of the colony and a member of the council of Gov. William Franklin. James Parker, Jr., was graduated at Columbia college in 1793. entered a counting house in New York city, where he remained until his father's death in 1797, when he returned to the family estate at Perth Amboy, N.J. He engaged in mercantile pursuits there for a few years, was a representa- tive in the New Jersey legislature, 1806-10, 1812- 13, 1815-16, 1818 and 1827; a presidential elector on the Jackson ticket in 1824, and collector of customs at Perth Amboy, 1829-33. He presented to the trustees of Queen's (afterward Rutgers) col- lege the site for the college buildings. He was one

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QuEtAJS COLLEGE

of the commi.ssioners appointed in 1807, 1827 and 1833 to obtain a settlement of the boundary question between New York and New Jersey, which was accomplished in 1833, and was pro- minent among the originators of the Delaware and Raritan canal. He was married first, January 5, 1803, to Penelope, daughter of Anthony Butler