The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-04-28
His Farm at Esopus.

q toy, but real farmer, who directs
the work, superintends the blowing
and, in harvest time, goes out in his
shirt sleeves to work with his men in
the hay and sorghum.
A careful estimate Of Judge Parker's
wealth places the value of all his pos
sessions at about $4,000. This prop
erty he has acquired mostly by saving
and good business judgment. His farm
at Cortland came to him from his
farmer father. He was born on it
and worked along its burrows as a
boy.
OF Old English Stock.
On his fathers side the judge comes
Of old English stock His great-grand-
father, John Parker. was born in 1751
at Worcester, Mass. He was a hard
working farmer When the war for
independence broke out he left his
pillow and served as a private under
Washington until the American repub-
lie was established. Little is known
of him except that he was man Of
pluck and independence and was great
~ respected by his neighbors. His
son, John Parker, was an intelligent
man, highly educated and public spir
tied. In 1903 he came to New York
state and bought q farm at Cortland,
the same farm which his distinguished
grandson owns and cultivateS today.
He had large family, and when his
health broke down the burden fell
heavily upon his son John, the father
Of Judge Parker. Those who remem-
Der the judges father say that he was
a man Of studious habits. In spite of
his bitter struggle for life on the farm
he read widely and deeply. He was
especially fond Of committing rare pas
sages to memory, and every spare mo-
ment found him porting over a good
book
On his mothers side Judge Parker
derives good New England blood His
white haired mother, who lives at Der
by, Conn.,, is a woman of refinement,
education and strong character. In
the summer time she spends the
judges vacation with him at Esopus.
She IS member of the Woman's
Christian Temperance union. The
giant sits before his mother while she
solemnly lectures him on temperance,
and, being an abstemious man, he
smiles and promises to be good. Her
constant aim is to warn him against
ambition. When the newspapers grow
loud In his praise he is sure to get a
letter from his mother exhorting him to
be humble
Farmer Boy and Schoolteacher.
The judge was born on the farm near
Cortland almost fifty-two years ago.
He attended the village schools and
worked about the farm. When sixteen
years old he taught school in a coun-
try schoo!hcrso and established his au-
thority by thrashing the school bully.
Then he taught school at Binghamton.
Presently be was q teacher at Accord,
in Ulster county, at So a day. He in
tended to so to Cornell university and
was saving money for that purpose,
but his fathers necessities drew from
his slender income, and his hopes Of a
university course failed. He moved to
Kingston and entered the law Office of
Schoonln2ker s. Hardenbergh Is
clerk Then he entered the Albany
Law school. and upon graduating he
returned to Schoonmaker & Harden
bergh. Within a few months he took
a partner named Kenyon and opened
law Office at Kingston.
For twelve years the young lawyer
practiced his profession in Kingston.
He had good income and won several
important cases. During that time he
was quite free from the control or in
fuence of large corporations.
In 1877 he was elected surrogate Of
ed for a second term. That was his
first experience of public office.
His entrance into politics was due
simply to his love for his old employer,
Judge Schoonmaker, who had been
driven out of politics. He believed that
the judge had been wronged and set
out to restore him to popular favor
So earnest was his campaign that he
soon became q recognized political fac
tor in Ulster county, being a favorite
of Mr.. Tilden and Mr.. Manning. who
trusted and consulted him. In 1885 he
was induced to become chairman Of
the Democratic state executive COM
mittee, and in the campaign which he
managed David B. Hill was elected
governor. Mr.. Hill appointed him to a
seat on the supreme court bench when
Justice Westbrook died.
H0nOrs Came Early.
When Judge Parker was thirty three
years old he was unanimously nomi-
mated for the supreme court bench by
the Democrats. The Republicans would
not nominate an opponent. Not vote
was cast against him. He served on
the supreme court bench until his