Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/215

 PARKER

PARKER

PARKER, John Adams, landscape painter, was born in New York cit}% Nov. 27, 1827. He was educated in the University of the City of New York, and in 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits, which he abandoned in 1857 to study art. He first exhibited at the National Academy of Design in 1858. from which time he was a regular contributor. He was elected an associate of the National Academy in 1864. He settled in Brook- lyn, N.Y., in 1856, and was a founder of the Brooklyn Art association and of the Brooklyn Art club. His best paintings are those of moun- tain scenery in the White Mountains, Catskills and Adirondacks, his summer studio being in Keene Valley, in the Adirondacks. His works include: Ticilight in the Adirondacks (1876); Winter (1879); Winter Twilight (1^80); Land- scape in the Adirondacks — Tivilight (1882); Win- ter Evening (1884); The Gothics — Adirondacks (1885), and Close of a November Day, Ausahle Pond, Adirondacks (1886). He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., in March, 1900.

PARKER, John Mason, jurist, was born in Granville, N.Y., June 14, 1805 ; son of John Clark Parker and Susan (Mason) Parker ; grandson of Peter and Esther (Clark) Parker ; and a descend- ant of Edward Parker, who settled in New Haven in 1644. He was prepared for college at Granville academy ; graduated at Middlebury college, Vt., in 1828, and studied law under John P. Cushman, at Troy, N.Y. He was admitted to the bar in 1833, settled in practice in Owego, N.Y., and was a Whig representative from the twenty-seventh New York district in the 34th and 35th congresses, 1855-59. He was a justice of the supreme court of New York, 1859-73, and a justice of the general term of the tliird depart- ment, 1867-73. He also sat as a member of the court of appeals for a part of the time. He was married first, in September, 1835, to Catherine Ann, daughter of Charles Pumpelly, of Owego, N.Y., and secondly, Mai'ch 1, 1854, to his deceased wife's sister, Stella A. Pumpelly. He received the degree LL.D. from Middlebury college, in 1865. He died in Owego, N.Y., Dec. 6, 1873.

PARKER, Josiah, representative, was born in Macclesfield, Ya., May 11, 1751 ; son of Nicholas and Ann (Copeland) Parker; grandson of Nathaniel and Ann Parker, and a descendant of Thomas Parker, who settled on Smith's Neck, Isle of Wight county, Va., in 1650. Josiah Parker was married May 6, 1773, to Mary Pierce, widow of Col. Joseph Bridger. He was a member of the county committee of safety in 1775, and of the Virginia convention that met in March, July and December, 1775. He was commissioned major in the 5th Virginia regiment, Feb. 13, 1776 ; was promoted lieutenant-colonel, July 28, 1777, and colonel, April 1, 1778. His regiment served under

Gen. Charles Lee in Virginia, until the latter part of 1776, when it was transferred to Washing- ton's army. He rendered distinguished service at the battles of Trenton, Princeton and the Brandy wine, and resigned from the army July 12, 1778. He commanded the militia on the south side of the James river in Virginia, 1778-82 ; was a member of the Virginia house of delegates 1780-81 ; naval officer at Portsmouth, Va., 1786, and a candidate for election to the Virginia con- vention of 1788, but was defeated because he was opposed to the adoption of the Constitution. He was a representative in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th and 6th congresses from the Norfolk district, Va. , 1789-1801, and was chairman of the committee on naval affairs. He was a member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati. He died in Maccles- field, Isle of Wight county, Va., March 18, 1810. PARKER, Leonard Fletcher, educator, was born in Arcade, N.Y., Aug. 3, 1825 ; son of Elias and Dorothy (Fletcher) Parker ; grandson of Leo- nard and Mary (Foster) Parker, and of Gershom and Sarah (Robinson) Fletcher, and a descendant of Abraham Parker, of Chelmsford, Mass.. about 1640, and of Robert Fletcher, of Concord, Mass., 1630. He was graduated from Oberlin college, Ohio, in 1851, and finished two years in the theo- logical department of Oberlin college in 1853. He was married Aug. 21, 1853, to Sarah Candace, daughter of Timothy and Harriet (Wilder) Pearse, of Oberlin, Ohio, formerly of Sudbury, Vt. He taught in public scliools, 1841-53 ; was superintendent of schools at Brownsville, Pa., 1853-56, and at Grinnell, Iowa, 1856-60. He was Carter professor of ancient languages at Iowa college, 1860-70 ; and in 1864, with all the students of the college of military age, enlisted in the 46th Iowa infantry. Col. D. B. Henderson (q.v.), and was 1st lieutenant of his company, declining the captaincy in favor of a veteran invalid soldier. He was a Republican member of the Iowa house of representatives, 1868-70 ; professor of Greek or of history at the State University of Iowa, ' 1870-87 ; Parker professor of history at Iowa col- lege, 1888-98, and was elected professor emeritus, in 1898, when he retired from active teaching. He was a member of the American History asso- ciation, and received the degree of A.M., in 1860, and the honorary degree D.D. in 1895, from Ober- lin. He is the author of : History of Education in Iowa, in No. 17 of state monographs (publislied by the U.S., 1893), and of pamphlets and maga- zine articles on literary, political and historical subjects, including Address at the Semi-Centen- nial of loica college ; The College on the Campus and Beyond It; Puritan Faith, not French Athe- ism, the Foundation of American Liberties, and The Abuse of Grant's Des Moines Speech (1875), in which he exposed the falsification of the