Foxhall Alexander Parker Sr. (1788 – 23 November 1857) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. He was Commander-in-Chief of the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a Squadron (naval), squadron of American ships that existed in the nineteenth century. It focused on protecting American interests in the Far East, while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on ...

(ie. U.S. Navy forces in the Far East), commanded the

Home Squadron The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the Atlantic slave trade, make coastal surveys ...

, and was commander of the .

Biography

Parker was born in Rock Spring,

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a County (United States), county located in the Northern Neck of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross, Virginia, Montross ...

. In 1814, he married Sarah Jay Bogardus (born 1794), daughter of

Robert Bogardus Robert Bogardus (May 22, 1771 "Possession House", St. John's Park, New York City – September 12, 1841 New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. He was a lineal descendant of Dominie Everardus Bogardus. Life He was th ...

(1771–1841). They had eight children, including Foxhall A. Parker Jr. (1821–1879) and

William Harwar Parker William Harwar Parker (October 8, 1826 – December 30, 1896) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy. His autobiography, entitled ''Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841–1865'', provides a unique insigh ...

(1826–1896), who were also prominent naval officers.

Career

Parker joined the Navy as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

on January 1, 1808. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

he was captured at sea. He was commissioned

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on March 9, 1813,

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

on March 3, 1825, and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

on March 3, 1835. In 1821, he served in as first lieutenant, and he assumed command of her in 1842. Parker was appointed commander of the East Indian Squadron in 1843. While in this position he was involved with

Caleb Cushing Caleb Cushing (January 17, 1800 – January 2, 1879) was an American Democratic politician and diplomat who served as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts and the 23rd United States Attorney General under President ...

's mission to Macao where Parker and Cushing were two of the three signatories of the

Treaty of Wanghia The Treaty of Wanghia (also known as the Treaty of Wangxia; Treaty of peace, amity, and commerce, between the United States of America and the Chinese Empire; () was the first of the unequal treaties imposed by the United States on the Qing dyn ...

. Following his assignment with Cushing, he was sent to Europe in 1848 to advise the German government while commanding the Boston naval yard. They had requested an American officer to assist with the organization of their navy. He was sent on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy, John T. Mason. While there, he was offered Supreme Command of the German Navy (

Reichsflotte The ''Reichsflotte'' (, ''Imperial Fleet'') was the first navy for all of Germany, established by the revolutionary German Empire to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark. The decision was made on 14 June 1848 by the F ...

). He declined, his son later presumed, because he didn't want to leave the US Navy and was concerned about the unsettled state of Europe at the time. In 1851, Parker was appointed "special Commissioner" to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

arrived by ship in the Nicaraguan port of Greytown (a British port), but refused to pay port fees and steamed away. The British fired upon Vanderbilt's ship and escorted it back to harbor where the angered Vanderbilt paid the fee. Parker with two warships was dispatched to Greytown where he informed the British the United States would not tolerate the collection of port duties by the British Navy. The British officer commanding the Royal Navy in the Caribbean (Vice-Admiral George F. Seymour) took immediate steps to defuse the crisis by admonishing the captain who had fired the shots, and sent one of his captains to meet with Parker and assure him "the interception of Vanderbilt's ship was completely unauthorized." In 1853, Parker was relieved of his duties as

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

of the

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Foxhall A. Sr. People from Westmoreland County, Virginia 1788 births 1857 deaths United States Navy commodores United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 People from Virginia in the War of 1812 War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom

Biography

Career

See also

References