The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-20


elected Chief Judge of the New York
Court of Appeals, the court of last resort
In that State Ghe so-called Supreme
Court being the court of original and
intermediate iurisdiction) he was forty
six years old. He was the youngest man
who had ever been called to be the head
officer of New York's judicial system.
He had already been on the bench for
twenty years and he had sat for sew
eral years on a temporary Second Di-
vision" Of the same Court of Appeals over
which he was now called on to preside.
For one so much of whose life had been
spent in the comparative isolation of judi
cial duties he had had a remarkably ac-
tive career: and he is a man whose tenn
permanent would be pretty apt to keep
him out of any career that was not active
Judge Parker was born in Ulster Coun-
ty New York. in 1851. Before he went
to live at Kingston in 1871 he had taught
school for time at Accord. At Kingston
he entered the office of Schoonmaker and
Hardenburgh. He studied law at the Al
bany Law School and graduated and was
admitted to the bar in 1872 That same
year he formed the law firm of Parker
and Kenyon.
Everyone knows that outside of a few
large cities, lawyers and above all young
lawyers, take to politics as ducks take
to water. About the first thing that hap
lened TO young Parker was that he was
made clerk of the Ulster County Board
of Supervisors. Soon after he represent
ed Ulster County in a protracted suit with
the city of Kingston, involving the equali-
Zatlon of assessments. This was Parker's
first big case" and so patiently and ex-
haustively did he master its prosaic de-
tails that he was victorious at every
point. For his services in this litigation
he received a fee of thirty-six hundred
dollars, windfall for a young lawyer in
his early twenties.
BY 1877, when Parker was twenty-six
he had already made his talents and en-
ergy so well known in Ulster County that
he was asked to take the Democratic
nomination for Surrogate. He was in the
minority party, and the Democratic ticket
went down in defeat; but so remarkably
large was the vote for Parker that on
election night the return for Surrogate
was still in doubt. When the count was
complete il was found that Parker alone
had pulled through" Except in the
larger cities, the Surrogate is not de-
barred from the practice of his profess
sion. In 1888 Parker was reelected.
A word should be said about Judge
Parker's political leadership at this time
Partly from the fairly even balance OF
political belief, partly on account of New
York's commanding influence in national
politics, and partly. no doubt, from nat
ural capacity and favorable environment
the country districts of New York have
produced with fair regularity a number OF
men actively engaged in politics, combin-
ing personal integrity with a high order
OF practical capacity for political ser
vice. OF these the most striking group
historically is the Albany Regency Par
ker was in close and intimate relations
with the Albany Regency of latter days,
and was a warm friend of President
Cleveland. Early in 1895. he was sum
moned by a telegram to Washington,
where President Cleveland offered him
the post of First Assistant Postmaster
General of the United States. The salary
was five thousand dollars. Parker thought
the matter over, and although his salary
as Surrogate was only three thousand dol
lars, he promptly declined the place. as
he feared that to withdraw from the
active life of his own county would mean
the loss of his practice. which gave every
promise of being established within few
years.
Somewhat surprised and little disap-
pointed, Mr.. Cleveland sent for Mr.. Villas,
the Postmaster General. saying, 'vilas.
Parkers says he has three thousand dol
lar salary as Surrogate of Ulster County
and is building up a law practice. and
he can't afford to take a five thousand
dollar olace.'
That's strange" said Villas. why,
left a twenty thousand dollar practice to
take an eight thousand dollar place in the
Cabinet"
"yes,'' retorted Parker: "and if had