Architect of His Own Career, Always Measuring
Up to His Responsibility, a Forceful
Personality.
se
-■SV Jr***
Judge Parker’s Life.
Born at Cortland, N. Y.. May 14,1852.
School-Ten her at Rochester, N. Y.,
1868.
Graduated from Albany Law school,
1872.
Elected surrogate of Ulster county,
N. Y., 1 77.
Eeelectf ! irrogate of Ulster county,
1883.
Delegate to democratic national con
vention at Chio;u«o, 18S4.
Chair1,!! ; .: of ',*w York state demo
cratic executive committee, 1S85.
Appoint- , :r .. of i he supreme court
by D. D. .h.U, 1£8C.
Justice c i. division of court of
Sj>~peairi. . j* ■ .i * -k, ISot).
Judge o; lie al term of supreme
court, 1503.
Elected c; f jv .ice of the court cf
appeals. 1S97.
an Life on Farm.
Judb • / i n Cranks; Parker,candidate
for presidency on the deftiooratlc ti< .a t.
was born, a f:irmcr'a son, May 14. it '•>.
He did not yearn to be a farmer, but
he learned much about what a-farmer
boy must do to keep himself in good
standing with bis own family.
As early as be could he attended an
academy at Cortland, N. Y., his native
town, and later drew from the Cortland
Normal s-.ool nil the equipment tor
life that it could give him.
He delighted in study, being anxious
to corapk 1 hi educpi' m by a thorough
college training, desiring especially to
take a course at f • m l! university. His
parents were not at >• to «end him to
college, or even. take care of
while he was tryir to find a f oth«
At the a; .• of 16 ! •• became a country
school-teacher.
He wandered as far afoot from home
as the village of Roche- ter, in Ulster
county, to find a school in which he could
earn three dollars a day. The dream of
a college lit' faded away. Reluctantly
he tvas obliged to give up the hope of a
broad training for his profession and to
think of t! - old-fashioned approach to
the bar through the office of a pre< * \ tor.
He was admitted to the office of
Schoonmakor & Hardenbergh, of King
ston, N. Y.. as a law student. Both of
those men \v v n ir v.Mn their rof< -
stun. 'Working his way. young Parker
was finally enable d to enter the Alban'
law school, gravitating between the oi
Doe of his preceptors at Kingston and
the law school, according to season a’d
necessity.
In 1872 he wa= graduated and soon
after this t' «• -b;n r.f " Parker & Kenyon”
was hung out at Kingston.
A natural interest in politico led him
very early to participate in a local ef
fort in that line. Tie speedily evidenced
a decided ability for political manage
ment. From the start he was a demo
crat.
Entrance Into Politics.
J
In 1877, when he was 25, the democrats
ot Ulster county nominated him for
surrogate. He was elected for a six
year term, and in 1883 was reelected.
While he was thu- winning his way to
a place of h nor and profit in his own
town Satnue J. Tllden had inspired him
with ideas about government and party
politics. His frequent visits to Albany
had brought him into association with
Daniel Manning. Edgar K. Apgar and
other active men, and his cleverness in
leadership in hi* county hud;given him
political prestige among the party lead
ers. He ?fton formed an acquaintance
with Daniel S Lament.
In 1884 hjg was a delegate to the con
vention at Chicago that nominated
Grover Cleveland for president, and he
helped to unll the candidate through in
the hotly contested campaign of that
year.
Cleveland offered the position of first
assistant postmaster general to Judge
Parker, and the. offer was declined.
About this.-time David,41 Hill, who
was then governor of New York, filling
Cleveland’s un ex pi red term, came to
know Parker very well. Me sent.' to
Kingston for him and offered him the
chairmanship of the state executive
committee, as Hill thought the probabil
ity of his being eUa.'fed.wins t«ot very «
bright. •
Against his wishes he was appointed
chairman of the state executive com
mittee. and applying liignse If to the work
he had reluctantly accepted, he over
came the apathy of Ills party and saw
his candidate vScttfrfbtis by 11,000 plural
ity in the state in’which Cleveland had
with difficulty secnre'about *1,200 plu*-'*
rality the previous year.
During the campaign Justice Theqy
dore R. Westbrook died. One of the first1*
1 Wi w
appointments made by Gov. Hill after
his election was that of Mr. Parker to the
judgeship made vacant by the death of
Justice Westbrook. By some this dis
position of Parker has been interpreted
as indicating a desire on the part of
Gov. Hill to shelve a man who was ris
ing to such a height that he might soon
be an obstacle to Hill’s ambitions.
This was gratifying to Parker, no mat
ter what may have been Hill's motives.
Judge Parker had rot been long upon
the supreme court bench before the peo
ple of the state began to appreciate his
ability as a jurist as well as a politician.
When election time came he enjoyed
the rare distinction of being the single
candidate of the two great parties and
was elected without opposition.
And still he continued, to rise. In
June, IS vn er-nmd the.second di
Mi's. Alton Brooks Parker.
vision of the court of appeals. Judge
Parker was designated by Gov. Hill to
sit in this new court. He was then only
38 years of age, the youngest of all the
Judges of the court of appeals. He sat
in this court until is?:!, when, upon its
dissolution. Gov. Flower made him one
of the judges of the general term of the
supreme court of the first district. This
assignment brought Judge Parker into
intimate a. -oeiation with the New York
bar. He remained in New York until
the creation of the appellate division of
the supreme court, when he resumed,
trials in his own district.
In 1897 he was nominated to be chief
judge of the court of appeals and was
elected by a plurality of 60,889.
Judge Parker always rejoiced in his
judicial career and did a good deal to re
move the congestion of cases in this, the
highest court of the state. ‘
Personal Characteristics.
Judge Parker, a man of 52 years last
May, does not look his age by ten of
them. He is a handsome specimen of
manhood, standing six feet in his shoes.
His hair is a reddish color, his eyes a
hazel brown with a reddish tinge, his
face wears the tarnished livery of the
sun with the same reddish tinge. His
nose is aquiline and aggressive and his
chin is aggressive in its breadth and
thrust forward. This high color flrtst at
tracts attention, then his chin, which
conveys the impression of great will
power, dogged adherence to a purpose
once made and determination to carry
forward the enterprise agreed upon. The
nose claims attention, with its showing
of force and investigative power. The
coarse, red mustache between chin and
nose tells you of virility, and by this time
you are beginning to think, perhaps,
that the animal qualities predominate,
until the eyes engage your attention,
when those window s of the soul tell you
that if there are ar.imal qualities in the
makeup of the man they are in control
and are tempered by a kindly disposition
and an acute intelligence that is wide
awake and cognizant of all that is trans
piring within their ken. Above rises a
high, broad', smooth, white forehead,
which is symmetrical, in its slope pro-'
serving tlie fillings. { intellectual
part without mini: ■ :;.;p :
tration and obseri.' if y’ a a
pnrehologist. you will say that lie is a1
man who is fond of music, that he is a
good guesser of weights and in his youth
had an inclination toward Athletic '
sports, especially of a gymnastic nature,
with a fine sense of color and the quality
if telling the time of the day without
consultingthe watch. And you will also
determine from that high, broacj,-white
forehead that he thinks without effort,
with unusual powers of concentration,
that with lity< difficulty.heiremoves bis
mind from one consideration to another
•Without' friction.'that he'fias wonderful'
netaous endurane*; and can labdr for
longer hours witttjgss fatigpe than most
'men. You shall also discover that th®
•« '< i > • '» . . ■■■■ ■■ aai——
t. * H ' * '» •!
JUDGi: ALTON BROOKS 'PARKER.
moral faculties are fully developed and
that reverence and c<.as; ■'cnee play their
parts even in the small things of his
life. In short, you will determine that
you have been observing a very' strong
man. mentally ami physically, who is
well balanced, not easily swayed, tena
cious of his own conclusions, well nigh
resistless in his energy, combative, if
not pugnacious; acknowledging no mas
ter but himself, wholesome, kindly,
courteous and abundantly enjoying life
in the mere matter of having existence.
And on acquaintance and observation it
will be found that th qualities suggest
ed are all a part of his makeup.
Of Executive Power.
It is but natural, perhaps, that, on first
thought, the disposition should be to re
gard Judge Parker as a student who was
immersed in mental speculations wholly
given to the intellectual process of
weighing principles. But there,is a
large executive side to the man which
has found play in the management, by
proxy, of three farms, one on which be
was born, in Cortland; one in Accord,
which came under his management
through his wife, and one at Esopus,
which is his home farm, and each is un
der his direction and each is actually
making money for him. Ibis this side
of him that:his associate, Judge John
Clinton Gray, paid tribute to when he
said:
“I take occasion to say that under the
attentive leadership and the unwearying
efforts of the present chief judge of this
court, that under his management the
present arrangement has worked ad
mirably. wonderfully, smoothly and
well. His loyalty to the decisions of the
court, his studious consideration of the
principles and of the points in each case,
liis great talent and unfailing tact and
courtesy and firmness make him an ad
mirable chief judge, and I add, in thus
speaking of him, i know 1 voice the
opinion of each of my associates.”
A Stirring Incident.
That Judge Parker is a man of action
and a doer as well as a student and mar.
3l meditation was well evidenced in a
matter which is a part of the history of
t. ■ city of Kingston. One September
'day. in 1891. the Ulster County Savings
bank, of which be was a trustee, closed
its doors suddenly because of embezzle
ments on the part of the treasurer and
a.-sistnr.t treasurer, which could no long
er be concealed. It was a bank which
had deposits of $2.500,000 and the em- j
b /.zlement amounted to $400,000,< wip
ing out the supposed surplus and making j
a deficiency. The bank had invested
. i. "l "00,000. in real estate .ttnort- j
<-hajf <jf which were on .the i
ir. s in lister county. To wind up the.I
■business of the'bank; by apporntirfg a
temporary receive^ and distribute the
assets pro pata—the ordinary way—
woilld he trt foreclose these mortgages,
throw many dn the tnari 4t., retiucte their
values and ruin the farmers and inflict
further loss.pn the depositors. At.the
time Judge Parker was'at his farm at
Accord, but hearing of the disaster he
hurried to an investigation. There were
other trustees, among th'em Gen. George
iH; Sharpe, but Judge Parker, in his mas- .
tf,pfu]n^ss, became the only,tone. His
first act was to lodge the assistant treas
urer in jail that night.' His next a
prampleffortto Indnce astrong fiduciary
Institution to take an assignment of
V. ■ *!•'• •.!»'* ■*'*» V
1 the mqrt.aages with a local bank a.s ■ ?
! count agent. But that failed. No insti
tution was willing. Then he showed his
: resources anti his inventive powers. He
asked the equity court, in the place of
appointing a temporary receiver, to
name 25 prominent citizens as trustees.
It was a new idea, and it commenced it
self to Charles M. Preston, w ho was at
• the time state superintend at of hanks
and a resident of Kingston. The judge
pleaded with the leading men of Kings
ton. merchants, bank presidents, etc.,
and secured 25 who had the confidence o.
the community, to take the bunk n on
: their shoulders. The supreme i t urt,
Fursman, judge, made a decree that
put the plan in operation and enjoined
the depositors from drawing out more
■ than 25 per cent, of their deposits. Th» .
somebody thought he saw an opportun
ity to play politics, and a newspaper of
the towui advised the depositors to draw
: out their 25 per cent, at once, assuring
them it would be all they would get.
The next morning, early, there was a
frantic crowd at the doors. A "run” was
on and it mean ruin. But Judge Parker
had anticipated the malicious efforts of
the mischief makers. He was there with
a bag of money be obtained in New York
for the purpose. Leaping on tin treas
urer’s desk, ho calk i. M,t: "Com on!
We are ready to paj l Do you think we
tf’o.uld waste our time on a broken
bank!” And the panic was at an ere.
Only 11 per cent, of the depositors de
manded their money. The savings ban;
was saved. The court of appeals sus
tained the p an and the treasurer and
assistant treasurer were sent to the
state’s prison. Then everybody wanted
Judge Parker as pr. -Tent of the bank.
He accepted the position on the consid
eration that i ■'> r; should >. jv n
for his st-rv:<• m.d he >■ • a. • >, ;t.
president until it was again on a sound
basis and its deposits several hunt;!'
thousand greater than they had ;;r
been. When the people of Ik n r .--omit •
recail that episode they laugh at the idea
that Judge Parker is not a . r g man
of action and a doer.
His Early Marriage.
While he was teaching school in Roch
ester village lie met Mary L. Sehoon
mal er. the daughttr of Most - 1.. .,n_
maker, of Accord, and when the young
lawyer could see his way clear to sup
porting a wife they were married. For
many year- ti ey lived ia a ha: . ome
house in Kingston owned by the judge,
hut a great love for the country and for
ceilin',ry life drew him each spring to
an old farmhouse near Accord, where
he could dip into agriculture Ti "re
were two children—a son. who * died
when seven years old. and a daughter,
Ilertha, who is the wife of Rev. Charles
Mercer Hall, of Kingston, Mr. and .Mrs.
Hail have two children.
For many years the judge wanted to
secure a country home on the banks of
the Hudson. 1 his ambition he was able
to realize not long ago. when he pur
chased an estate, with a fine residence,
at Lsopns, u is known as Rosemount
halk Here he spends as much time as
he can in tending to his farm. He de
■ ight to go out with the farmhands and
help them work the farm.
No farmer in Ulster county thinks of
Judge Parker as the severe magistrate
when he is at -home. To his summer
neighbors he is only the man they have
loved as he rose from one position of
5°"°/«asint „
., . Ti l T Wlth0u,t ceasing to t
their corliaUand democratic friend.
H -
l>t ,
" Judge Parker Is not a *>»**«■; he,
sometimes goes out with a gun, but foi
strolling far and wide rather than for
any settled purpose of Hilling, and as ani
excuse for tramping in the fresh air. .
Harriet Stratton Parker, the judge 3
mother, who is 78 years of age and a>
member of the Woman’s Christian Tem
perance union, spends part of her time
it his home and the remainder at tho
residence of her daughter. Mrs. Mary A.
Miles in Derby, Conn. The Judge has
a brother. Frederick H. Parker, w-ho is
in the insurance business in New \ork.
His father died several years ago:
In church the judge sings hymns in so
good a tenor voice, sometimes so loudly,
as to cause strangers to turn around and
look at him. He is popular among hi»i
neighbors, and Rosemount is seldom*
without guests when the Parker family
is at home. The judge cultivates 100
of the 140 acres of the farm. Much of
the land is covered with peach, apple and
pear orchards and grape vineyards. His
Mrs, Charles M. Hall.
(Only Li od Mrs.
Parker.) t
n ■ pull rattle are his es-t :< ‘ial d< light..
He is i--nd of talkiaoij his biun > Mock
at the meetings of th*- Esopus Farmers*
association, of which he is a member.
—--— —,
tally Tortured.
' <*il '<* !!,<* to li jilt t !»:»! for
|.fl > •! ' I •' 1 : :) Ills ! fill lolttiru
• M O' 1 II . •!' i • • . < . j i f.
> (foi‘i'd‘*iv of (' <!u- ■ (’olif,
I
11• •:. • <’ >'■ p-tiu fi on i houimt
1 mu 1 ;, i1: , ii 1 i■ •: I mo
t :I‘>U '' l ' i ' - V I . !|.
I
111 !i
*oi t;; if '; ot: oif, \ f, oo. ||(»<4
! ••'! ! (*11
i i
11 :■ if i 1 <!e
' !.‘y. < )..!> 5m «ti)|>.
I !1 >:. . : 1 * lilt* * 1 it. ,!. J -1 m ' *i
' all!. Dru^-'ist.
Prospee iive Ca ru ’ i d n teg.
o i ■ - i1;i-:i nros
p !’i!' 1 . - nia!1 i ■ .,ti j> tales
th’o or, . A i ■ ■ o(her*
who a to* imuiiiu *i.i iy rationed
a:i<; who are aid to l»o io
five iron i o 1 r J tidjjfe V\ . .. Kav
h. < : noli | >. V,' ».>•! Hoi -
evl i, ■. A ii are . . ; to l.uvo v
tio‘ Tiifit j- r un(if*r advisement, and
■i ■' 1r, i that at Ions', one of
1 ;n iuis orik initially -tnied his
ih! 0 o! Cllirniirr , ho li ds at
l-: 1 ’ •'.•!• .'no.. Ark ,ns ts (ia
. i!' .
' il I 'i-rv’s and Foot Racers!
Fmi' ,1. Lrug.*r, exeliumpibn
• mg distant*- font nicer of (ier
• t:iiiv ami Holland, write- Oct.,
-'7th. Idol ; ‘’■During m\ training
1 > I ' ; :!it week.-' foot race- at Sait
Lake (’it v. in April la-l. 1 used
i>al|ard - Snow Liniment to uiv
-ieate-1 '.all-faction, TheieiV.re,
1 hi-.diiy recommend Snow Lini
m“i:t to all wlio are troubled with
sprain-'. bruises or rheumatism.”
2.>e. ,>()<•. si.OP l >o 11 le - • Sidy by
>i. I. Sturdivant. druggist.
Four nice residence lots, two
idocks from Front street, lor sale
til a Far;:'uia. Apply to Craig &
Henderson.
Cheerfully Recommended for
Rheumatism.
0. (L High ... I> •• vi'le. Ills.,
unites, j). . I'JOt : ••About two
years ago I was laid up for four
months with rheumatism, 1 tried
Ballard’s Snow Liniment; one,
bottle eurep me. I can cheerfully
recommend it to all suffering from
like affliction.’’ 25c, 50o, $100.
Sold by J. 1. Sturdivant,d ruggist.
■ US'
■ %