The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-04-14
LEWIS v. PARKER
HAS PASSED AWAY
Headed Vast Interests in the
Textile Field
INVALID FOR MONTHS
Founder of Largest Southern Cotton
Mill Group Is Dead at the Age Of
Fifty-One Years.

dent of the Parker Cotton Mills
and formerly presient of
ers' association, died at his home on
East Washington street in Green
vile this morning about 6 o'clock.
Mr.. Parker had been in failing health
for some time. He was figure OF
national prominence in the manu-
featuring world, rising rapily after
leaving the practice OF law and en-
tering the cotton mill field. He was
affiliated with other great industries
also. He was a leader in the efforts
to have the Piedmont & Northern
line constructed and was a director
of that electric railway. He was
formerly a member Of the executive
committee Of that corporation. The
Parker Cotton Mills company was
the largest cotton mill combination
in the south, including 16 mills and
operating some 514,70S spindles. The
capital stock of the company, after
its completion, was $12,2O0,000. Mr..
Parker has for some months been
associate editor of the Piedmont, an
afternoon paper of Greenville.
The funeral services will be held
Wednesday afternoon at o'clock at
Christ Episcopal church, this city,
and will be conducted by the Rev.
w. II. K. Pendleton, rector OF the
Church of the Advent, Spartanburg.
Surviving members of his family are
his wife, who was Miss Margaret
Smith, of Richmond; the Misses Lu-
cia and Margaret Parker, and two
sons, Austin Smith Parker and Lew
Is w. Parker. Mr.. Parker leaves
three brothers, William Henry Par
ker, a lawyer of Charleston; Thomas
Parker, of Belvedere, California, a
retired naval commander, and Capt.
Francis l.. Parker, of the Twelfth
cavalry. A sister, Miss Lucia Ward
law Parker, dean of the University
High school. of Chicago, also sur
wives him.
Lewis Wardlaw Parker was born
at Abbeville, this state, July IL, 1865
and was, therefore, 81 years Of age
when he died. His father, William
Henry Perker, was a lawyer OF dis
tinguished ability and was also in
.terested in banking. His mother
was Mrs. Lucia Wardlaw Parker.
Lewis Parker encountered difficult
ties in obtaining his education, as
his family was large and it's means
limited. At the age Of Is he went
to work in mercantile establish
ment of his home city and continued
to work for two years.
Later he entered the University
OF South Carolina. completing the
A. B. degree in 1885, winning high
honors. He then took the law
course and was graduated two years
later. For a time he taught school
In Columbia and in Barnwell. In
1888 he removed to Greenville and
entered upon the practice OF law.
He was a partner at different
times with j. A. McCullough and
II. ]. Haynsworth. In 1897 he for
sock the practice OF law in order to
enter the manufacturing field, assum-
ing charge Of the Victor Manufac-
turing company of Greer. He was
then interested in certain banking
business also. He was one of the
organizers of the Monaghan mill of
Grcenville.
Mr.. Parker's rise in the manufac-
turing world was rapid. He was
very generally regarded as a leading
cotton manufacturer OF the south
and afterward the nation. At a la
ter time he was chosen for the diff
ficult task Of reorganizing the Wha-
ley group of mills, located in and
near Columbia. The condition OF
the mills was not roseate. But Mr..
Parker succeeded in the task.
He was actively interested in. well
fare work in his several mills.