Abraham X. Parker (November 14, 1831 – August 9, 1909) was an American lawyer and politician from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. He was most notable for his service in the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(1863-1864), the

New York State Senate The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature, while the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Established in 1777 by the Constitution of New York, its members are elected to two-year terms with no term l ...

(1867-1871), and the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(1881-1889).

Life

Parker was born in

Granville, Vermont Granville is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 301 at the 2020 census. The town was originally called Kingston but was renamed in 1833. Granville was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by ...

on November 14, 1831. He attended St. Lawrence Academy in

Potsdam, New York Potsdam is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in St. Lawrence County, New York, United States. The town population was 14,901 at the 2020 census. When the State University of New York at Potsdam and Clarkson University are in sess ...

and studied law with Henry L. Knowles. He then attended lectures at

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

to complete his legal training, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1854. After becoming an attorney, Parker practiced in Buffalo with the firm of Eli Cook and Freeman J. Fithian. He then practiced briefly in

Syracuse Syracuse most commonly refers to: * Syracuse, Sicily, Italy; in the province of Syracuse * Syracuse, New York, USA; in the Syracuse metropolitan area Syracuse may also refer to: Places * Syracuse railway station (disambiguation) Italy * Provi ...

before returning to Potsdam in 1856 to establish a firm in partnership with John G. McIntyre. He was a member of the

(St. Lawrence Co., 3rd D.) in

1863 Events January * January 1 – Abraham Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation during the third year of the American Civil War, making the abolition of slavery in the Confederate States of America an official war goal. The signing ...

and

1864 Events January * January 13 – American songwriter Stephen Foster ("Oh! Susanna", "Old Folks at Home") dies aged 37 in New York City, leaving a scrap of paper reading "Dear friends and gentle hearts". His parlor song "Beautiful Dream ...

. Parker served as chairman of the Committee on Claims in his first term, and the committee on Commerce and Navigation in his second. He was Postmaster of Potsdam from 1865 to 1866, and also served as a justice of the peace and as president of the Village of Potsdam. He was a member of the

from 1868 to 1871. In the Senate, Parker served as chairman of the Committee on Insurance and Public Health. In 1876, Parker was a candidate to be one of New York's presidential electors, but Democratic nominee

Samuel Tilden Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th governor of New York and was the Democratic nominee in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was born in 1814 i ...

carried the state and received its electoral votes. Parker was elected as a Republican to the 47th and to the three succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1889). He was appointed by President

Grover Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Hist ...

as a member of the first labor investigation commission. He served as a delegate to the

1892 Republican National Convention The 1892 Republican National Convention was held at the Industrial Exposition Building, Minneapolis, Minnesota, from June 7 to June 10, 1892. The party nominated President Benjamin Harrison for re-election on the first ballot and Whitelaw Reid ...

and as First Assistant Attorney General from September 8, 1890, to March 4, 1893. After leaving the Justice Department, Parker resumed the practice of law in Potsdam. A civic activist, he was the longtime chief engineer of Potsdam's volunteer fire department and a trustee of St. Lawrence Academy. In addition, he served as He served as president of the board of trustees for the Thomas S. Clarkson Memorial School of Technology and a member of the board of managers for the State Normal School in Potsdam. Parker died in Potsdam on August 9, 1909. He was interred at Bayside Cemetery in Potsdam.

Family

In 1857, Parker married Jenny Wright (1836-1919). Their children included Mabel, Thurlow, Jennie, Kittie, Harriet (Hattie), Alice and Bessie.

References

Sources

Books

* * *

Magazines

External links

*
Abraham X. Parker
at The Political Graveyard {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Abraham X 1831 births 1909 deaths Albany Law School alumni Republican Party members of the New York State Assembly Republican Party New York (state) state senators People from Potsdam, New York United States assistant attorneys general Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New York (state) People from Granville, Vermont New York (state) postmasters 19th-century members of the New York State Legislature 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives