Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-06
HAD BEEN SERIOUSLY
SICK SINCE LAST FALL
Judse J. N. Parker. While Suffering
wun severe PROSTATE T~cnhls- over
come BY heart Failure-Was For.
mer Mayor, City Solicitor. and Rep
resentative in General Assembly.

assembly, died at 1850 Thursday night
al the Deaconess hospital. Death came
quickly and without pain and was
caused by an acute attack OF heart
disease following a long sickness.
No one but the nurse was with the
sick man when the end came. The
nurse had turned away from the oeu
for a moment to get her patient glass
OF water. She heard him gasp and the
end had come.
Judge Parker's last sickness began
last fall when he became afflicted with
trouble OF the prostate gland, an
ailment peculiar to aged men. \ first
operation TO relieve him was perform
ed last October. Later he went TO
Florida, where he spent the winter,
and the trouble became more acute.
Returns; Removed to Hospital.
When he returned May 10 he was
suffering intensely and his condition
was serious. Nine days later he was
removed to the hospital and two or
three weeks ago a second preliminary
operation was performed 10 relieve the
T..
became stronger an operation to re-
move the prostate gland would be un-
dertaken, but the patient was opposed
TO this
There was complication of an old
heart throubIc involved that was A
constant menace to his recovery but
up to thirty-six hours before his death
Judge Parker had gained. swelling Of
the feet that began Thursday was re-
gardIng as an unfsvorable symptom.
Resident Half a Century.
For more than fifty years Judge
Parker had been a resident OF Mar
shalltown, following a short time he
spent on a farm near State Center.
During that long period he had been
active and prominent in the law, which
led eventually to his elevation to the
bench. Equally active in politics Of the
republican party. he was chosen to rep
resent the county in the house of the
state general assembly. Interested IN
municipal affairs, he was honored ny
being elected the first mayor after the
city attained the dignity OF one Of the
second class. His Legal experience LED
TO his appointmest as city solicitor.
4 veteran Of the civil war, he was
for years an active member of the G..
A. r. His unflagging interest in 10
cal history made him first a member
then president OF the Historical Society
Of Marshall county, an office he held
n his death.
Was Native of Ohio.
John NJ. Parker was born at Circle
Vile. o.. April %. 1888, the fourth child
of Payton and Laney (McArtfur) Park
er. In lS45 the family moved TO Full
ton county. Ill. The family then con-
sisted Of eight children. Of whom Judge
Parker was the last surviving member.
Judge Parker was reared on the farm
in Fulton county, attended public
school and later Hedding College Alb
ingdon, III. Two months before he was
| TO be graduated, the civil war having
broken out, he left college and enlisted
| in Company F, Sixty sixth Illinois VOL
unteer infantry, CWestern Snapshot
| ers). He saw service at Fort Donel-
| son, Shiloh, Corinth. Kenesaw Noun
| tain and other engagements o. Sher-
| mans march to the sea He was
| wounded in the thigh at Mt Zion, Mo,
| Dec. g, 1851, and he was discharged
| in 1866.
Came TO County in IS.
! Early in 1865 he came to the county
| and went 10 what Is now the Brown
| farm, three-quarters or a mile east of
State Center, which his mother then
| owned. and remained there that sum-
| mer. He broke out the first land OF
that farm. His father had died before
| Mrs. Parker came TO the county.
| For a time after coming out of the
| service and before settling here he
| taught school in Fulton county and
l while doing so read law, a study he
took up in the army, carrying Black
stone in his knapsack. After coming
! 10 this city in 's5 he finished reading
law with l.. w. Griswold and was ad-
mitted TO the bar ii 1866.
He at once began his practice and
! became actively interested in the de-
velopment OF the city and central To-
wa. He was one Of the pioneers who
| became interested In early railroad
projects. The first of these was the
Des Moines, Waterloo and Northwest
ern. Judge Parker was a member of
| its first board OF directors. He also
was of the first board Of the Wiscon-
sin, Iowa and Nebraska. built first
from this city to Des Moines this road
! later became part Of the Chicago
Great Western system.
| Mayor For Two Terms.
! Judge Parker served two terms as
mayor. from 1868 to II and he was
! city solicitor from 1876 to rs. He was
! elected to the house Of representatives
/ in 1873. and served two terms. He was
a member of the committee that form
4 ed the first railroad commission and
he was the Trainer Of number OF
statutes.
H His elevation to the bench came in
I 1906 when he was appointed by the
governor to be judge Of the seven
teenth judicial district to fill the va
II cancy caused by the death of Judge
Obed Casweli The appointive term
ended Jan. /, 1911.
H Inactive in Later Years.
Judge Parker ranked high in the To-
cal bar as an attorney, and as trial
lawyer he was aggressive and an elo-
quent pleader and keen cross exami-
ner. AS an orator Judge Parker rank.
ed among the SS SSss.. the city has nrn-
duced. He had the confidence Of the ba,
as a Judge, but q serious impairment
OF his hearing was an unhappy nand-
leap in his occupancy Of that office