Bisbee daily review., 1904-07-12
Judge Parker's Personal
 and Political History
REMARKABLE CAREER OF THOR OUCH AMERICAN - FROM POOR BOY HE RISES TO HONOR AND POLITE
 CAL SUCCESS.

Alton Brooks Parker was born at Cortland. N Y. May fl. 1852. and is the son of John Brooks Parker and Harriet F. Stratton. His ancestors for several generations were residents of Massachusetts. his great grandfath- CT. John Parker, having served for three years in the war of the Revolu- tion. His early education was ob tained in the academy and normal school al Cortland, where his parents resided At the age of sixteen he commenced teaching in order to ob- tain money to enable him 10 continue at school, after after which he adopted the law as a profession. But it was by no means all plain sailing. His family was not in affluent circum stances, and it became necessary for him besides working on the farm in the summer to obtain other employ ment to enable him to attend the aca- | demy and normal as well as the law school. This he did not hesitate to do; and honorable employment was ! eagerly sought. The winter after he was sixteen he started out 10 secure his first appointment as school | teacher. After a thirteen mile drive and numerous disappointments. he was engaged by the trustees of ViT- gil township school in his home coun- | ty. Later he entered the normal school and following winter taught school in the neighborhood Of Bing
 hampton. The next winter Prof. J. | H. Hoose the principal of the Court
 land Normal School. received an ap- ! plication for a principal of a school. | with wages at three dollars day, and asked young Parker To take it. He
 was only too glad of the opportunity. and after teaching seven months. he entered the office of Schoonmaker & Hardenburgh, as law student. Soon after entering MT. Schoonmaker's of flee, the latter who was then serving his second term as county judge. was
 defeated for reelection after a hard campaign. and was so disheartened that he decided to withdraw from poii- tics. Believing that his patron was
 unduly discouraged and that he was still strong with the people. young
 Parker arranged for Mir. Schoonmak.
 CTS nomination for State Senator in 1875 and prevailed upon him 10 ac
 cept. The young lawyer so well man
 aged the campaign that Mr. Schoon-
 maker was elected by a large ma jority and his prestige in politics full.
 ly restored, for he was, in 1877, elected
 attorney-general. renominated in 1879, nominated for judge of the court of
 Appeals in 1880, and subsequently, ap- pointed interstate commerce commis-
 sioner by President Cleveland.
 , In the year 1877 young Parker's
 prominence and popularity in his
 party brought him forward as the
 pariy's candidate for the office of Surrogate. then held by the most able
 and popular Republican lawyer of the
 county. He was nominated in a hot ; ly contested convention and notwith- , standing his opponent for the candid.
 acy bolted his nomination he was
 elected, being the only candidate elect. ed on the ticket.
 His popularity with the voters was
 still more strikingly shown in 1883, when. after having served six years
 as Surrogate, he was reelected to the
 office by a majority of 1400 in a total vote of 1000 against a competitor [ Judge William Lawton-whose popu- larity as County Judge had carried the
 county twice successively by large ma
 jorities. and again he was the only
 candidate on the Democratic ticket
 elected. In 1884 he was delegate to
 the convention nominating Mir Cleve-
 land and 1885 a delegate to the con
 vention nominating David B. Hill for governor. In this State campaign he q was placed at the head of the State Executice Committee and had charge
 of the campaign Largely owing to
 PaTker's masterful work the entire
 Democratic State ticket was elected oy