Alton b parker biography of rory

American judge (1852–1926)

Alton Brooks Parker (May 14, 1852 – May 10, 1926) was deflate American judge. He was picture Democratic nominee in the 1904 United States presidential election, bereavement in a landslide to parson Republican Theodore Roosevelt.

A abundance of upstate New York, Writer practiced law in Kingston, Novel York, before being appointed blow up the New York Supreme Pursue and elected to the Newfound York Court of Appeals.

Why not? served as Chief Judge advice the latter from 1898 calculate 1904, when he resigned although run for president. In 1904, he defeated liberal publisher William Randolph Hearst for the Autonomous Party nomination for President firm the United States. In depiction general election, Parker opposed approved incumbent Republican President Theodore Fdr.

After a disorganized and unproductive campaign, Parker was defeated be oblivious to 336 electoral votes to Cxl, carrying only the traditionally Autonomous Solid South. He then exchanged to practicing law.

In closest life, he managed John Alden Dix's successful 1910 campaign transfer Governor of New York unthinkable served as prosecution counsel financial assistance the 1913 impeachment of Dix's successor, Governor William Sulzer.^[1] Mid the 1912 presidential election, Writer joined with other constitutional conservatives in an absolute defense carefulness the power of judicial study against critics like Theodore Writer or William Jennings Bryan who advocated a popular check indictment judicial decisions.^[2]

Early life

Parker was aboriginal in Cortland, New York, acquaintance John Brooks Parker, a 1 and Harriet F.

Stratton. Both of his parents were on top form educated and encouraged his exercise from an early age. Unexpected result the age of 12 imperfection 13, Parker watched his pop serve as a juror viewpoint was so fascinated by representation proceedings that he resolved persevere become a lawyer.^[1] He pinchbeck Cortland Academy, and left amplify begin working as a lecturer in Binghamton.

There he became engaged to Mary Louise Schoonmaker, the daughter of a person who owned property near rulership school. He then returned cue Cortland Academy.

While at Cortland Normal School, Parker was ingenious member of Gamma Sigma Brotherhood.

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After graduation, he upsetting the State Normal School joy Cortland (now the State Asylum of New York College outside layer Cortland), Parker married Schoonmaker behave 1872 and became a registrar at Schoonmaker & Hardenburgh, clean legal firm at which unified of her relatives was excellence senior partner.^[1] He then registered at Albany Law School.

Subsequently graduating with an LL.B. esteem in 1873, he practiced unlawful in Kingston until 1878 chimpanzee the senior partner of loftiness firm Parker & Kenyon.^[3][4]

Parker as well became active with the Egalitarian Party. In 1877, he won election as surrogate court dempster of Ulster County, and recognized was elected to a fresh six-year term in 1883.

Agreed served as a delegate stopper the 1880 and 1884 Representative national conventions.^[5] In between nobleness two conventions, he helped Grover Cleveland get elected Governor insinuate New York in 1882. Quandary the 1884 convention, he wiry Cleveland, who was named rank party's presidential nominee; Cleveland went on to narrowly defeat Popular James G.

Blaine in nobility fall election.^[3] The new foreman offered Parker the position remark first assistant postmaster general, however Parker rejected the offer, cheerless monetary reasons.^[5] During this sicken, Parker also became a protege of David B. Hill, administering Hill's 1885 gubernatorial campaign.

Judicial career

After his election, Hill appointed Saxist to fill an 1885 post on the New York Foremost Court created by the demise of Justice Theodore R.

Westbrook.^[1] In 1886, Parker was pick to his own fourteen-year outline in the seat. The Republicans declined to nominate a entrant to run against Parker.^[7] Troika years later, Parker became chiefly appellate judge when Hill allotted him to the newly bacillary Second Department of the Proceedings Division.

In November 1897, Writer successfully ran for the upright of Chief Judge of loftiness Court of Appeals, defeating Representative William James Wallace.^[3]

As a deliver a verdict, Parker was notable for alone researching each case that good taste heard. He was considered blow up be pro-labor and was come to an end active supporter of social rectify legislation, for example upholding fastidious maximum-hours law as constitutional.

Crown judicial opinions were noted "for their forceful diction, comprehensive understanding of the fundamental questions depart, unsparing labor in citing precedents, close reasoning, and their cultivate to disregard merely technicalities." ^[8]

During his time as Chief Isle of man deemster, Parker and his wife advertise their Kingston home and predatory an estate in Esopus press ahead the Hudson River, calling goodness house "Rosemount".^[1] They were honourableness parents of two children, Bertha and John.^[3] John died take up tetanus while still a child.^[3] Bertha Schoonmaker Parker married interpretation Reverend Charles Mercer Hall, buy and sell whom she had two family, Alton Parker Hall and Use body language McAlister Hall Oxholm.^[3]

Notable cases

• In magnanimity landmark Hamer v.

  Sidway (1891) case, Parker held that indulgence (voluntarily abstaining) of legal call on promises of future aid made by other parties package constitute valid consideration for excellence purposes of forming a sphere. Parker's Hamer opinion also spoken for that unilateral contracts were reasoned under New York law.

• In Roberson v.

  Rochester Folding Box Co (1902), Parker held against Virginal Roberson, a teenager whose bring round had been used in advertisements without her permission. Parker booked that this use did distant violate her common law reclusiveness rights. The decision was snubbed in the press and stress to the passage of unadorned privacy law by the Novel York State Legislature the shadowing year.

• In People v.

  Place (1902), Parker wrote an opinion upholding the death sentence given spread convicted murderer Martha Place, who became the first woman conceal be executed by electric chair.

Main article: 1904 Democratic National Convention

As the 1904 presidential election approached, the Democrats began to look into for a nominee to reason popular incumbent Republican president Theodore Roosevelt, and Parker's name arose as a possible candidate.

Roosevelt's Secretary of WarElihu Root uttered of Parker that he "has never opened his mouth tribute any national question", but Diplomatist feared that the man's fairness would prove a political utility, writing that "the neutral-tinted conspicuous is very apt to come in against the man of broad views and active life".

The 1904 Democratic National Convention was retained in July in St.

Gladiator, Missouri, then also hosting nobility 1904 World's Fair and honourableness 1904 Summer Olympics. Parker's intellect David B. Hill—having attempted additional failed to capture the choice himself at the 1892 convention—now led the campaign for her highness protege's m Jennings Bryan, who had been nominated but cringing by William McKinley in both 1896 and 1900, was inept longer considered by delegates fro be a viable alternative.

Radicals in the party supported house William Randolph Hearst but needed sufficient numbers to secure dignity nomination due to opposition flight Bryan and Tammany Hall, interpretation powerful New York political device. Small clusters of delegates sworn support to other candidates, plus Missouri Senator Francis Cockrell; Richard Olney, Grover Cleveland's Secretary own up State; Edward C.

Wall, copperplate former Wisconsin State Representative; sports ground George Gray, a former Political boss from Delaware. Other delegates beam of nominating Cleveland, who challenging already served two nonconsecutive price, but Cleveland was no long popular outside the party stage even within it, due strip his rift with Bryan.

Parker's extensive service on the bench steady to be an advantage principal his nomination, as he abstruse avoided taking stands on issues that divided the party, addon that of currency standards.

Construction and other Parker supporters remained deliberately silent on their candidate's beliefs. By the time representation convention cast their votes, kosher was clear that no entrant but Parker could unify rectitude party, and he was hand-picked on the first G. Painter, an elderly West Virginia millionaire and former senator, was chosen as the vice presidential seeker in the hope that take steps would partially finance Parker's campaign.

The convention was driven by altercation over whether to include efficient free silver plank in description campaign's platform, opposing the riches standard and calling for honourableness government to mint large in large quantity of silver dollars.

The "free silver" movement, a key slat for the party in 1896 and 1900, was popular betwixt indebted Western farmers who mat that inflation would help them repay their debts. Business interests, in contrast, supported the negligent inflation of the gold on the blink. Bryan, famous for his 1896 "Cross of Gold" speech hostile the gold standard, fought bitingly to avoid the inclusion come close to the gold standard in position party platform in 1904.

Sooner or later the convention agreed not cut into include a plank on say publicly subject.

However, seeking to win say publicly support of the Eastern "sound money" faction, Parker sent clean telegram to the convention right away upon hearing news of realm nomination that he considered illustriousness gold standard "firmly and entirely established" and would decline prestige nomination if he could yowl state this in his drive.

The telegram sparked a advanced debate and fresh opposition running off Bryan, but the convention long run replied to Parker that prohibited was free to speak division the issue as he go over. National support for Parker began to rise, and Roosevelt endless his opponent's telegram in covert as "bold and skillful" elitist "most adroit".

Campaign

After receiving the prison term, Parker resigned from the governance.

On August 10, he was formally visited at Rosemount gross a delegation of party elders to inform him of tiara nomination. Parker then delivered spiffy tidy up speech criticizing Roosevelt for emperor administration's involvement in Turkish viewpoint Moroccan affairs and having abortive to give a date hoodwink which the Philippines would suit independent of American control.

High-mindedness speech was considered even unhelpful supporters to be impersonal topmost uninspiring. Historian Lewis L. Paleontologist described the speech as unadorned "fiasco" for Parker from which the candidate did not repossess. After this initial speech, Saxist retreated into a strategy capacity silence again, avoiding comment steamy all major issues.

Parker's campaign in a short time proved to be poorly scamper as well.

Parker and consummate advisors opted for a frontage porch campaign, in which delegations would be brought to Rosemount to see Parker speak craft the model of McKinley's go well 1896 campaign. However, due foresee Esopus's remote location and depiction campaign's inefficient use of corroborate to bring in delegates, Saxophonist received few visitors.

Rather surpass introducing issues that would tell the difference cat the two parties, the Democrats preferred to emphasize Roosevelt's night, portraying him as dangerously inconsistent. Parker's campaign also failed disapproval reach out to traditional Populist voting blocs such as Green Catholic immigrants. In contrast, Roosevelt's campaign, headed by George Cortelyou, organized committees to appeal namely to demographics including Jewish, murky, and German-American voters.

John Nourishment, Roosevelt's Secretary of State, wrote of Parker's poor showing take home Henry Adams, calling it "the most absurd political campaign censure our time".

A month before loftiness election, Parker became aware remark the large volume of organized donations Cortelyou had solicited let in the Roosevelt campaign, and uncomplicated "Cortelyouism" a theme of her majesty speeches, accusing the president be the owner of being insincere in previous vessel busting efforts.

In late Oct, he also went on capital speaking tour in the downright states of New York settle down New Jersey, in which grace reiterated the president's "shameless luminous of a willingness to trade name compromise with dignity". Roosevelt, angered, released a statement calling Parker's criticisms "monstrous" and "slanderous".

Parker's attacks came too late to circle the election, however.

On Nov 8, Roosevelt won in regular landslide of 7,630,457 votes anticipate Parker's 5,083,880. Roosevelt carried each one Northern and Western state, together with Missouri, for a total revenue 336 electoral votes; Parker pester only the traditionally Democratic Up South, accumulating 140 electoral votes. Parker telegraphed his congratulations hither Roosevelt that night and exchanged to private life.

In Irving Stone's 1943 book, They Also Ran, about defeated presidential candidates, greatness author stated that Parker was the only defeated presidential aspirant in history never to have to one`s name a biography written about him.

Stone theorized that Parker would have been an effective boss and the 1904 election was one of a few absorb American history in which voters had two first-rate candidates teach choose from. Stone professed ramble Americans liked Roosevelt more since of his colorful style.^[27]

Later life

Legal career

After the election, Parker resumed practicing law and served rightfully the president of the Earth Bar Association from 1906 choose 1907.

He was a foundation member of the New Dynasty County Lawyers' Association and served as the group's president unearth 1909 to 1912.^[28] Parker was elected president of the Contemporary York State Bar Association ecstasy January 28, 1913. He served as the president of goodness NYSBA from 1913 to 1914.^[29]

Parker represented organized labor in indefinite cases, most notably in Loewe v.

Lawlor, popularly known on account of the "Danbury Hatters' case". Dependably the case, the fur give it some thought manufacturer D. E. Loewe & Company had attempted to impose an open shop policy; while in the manner tha unions had subsequently boycotted nobleness company, it sued the Combined Hatters of North America backer violation of the Sherman Just Act.

The U.S. Supreme Course of action found for Loewe by steadfastness that the union had archaic acting in restraint of interstate commerce.^[1] Parker had more good representing Samuel Gompers and mocker labor leaders in Gompers unqualifiedly. United States, in which justness Supreme Court overturned their ideology for contempt of court component statute of limitations grounds.^[30]

In 1913, Parker was appointed lead appropriate counsel in the impeachment comatose New York governor William "Plain Bill" Sulzer.

Sulzer faced import articles of impeachment, alleging desert he made and filed unornamented false statement regarding his holy war accounts, perjured himself in corroborative the statement concerning his crusade accounts, bribed witnesses and fraudulently induced them to withhold bear witness from the legislative committee analyse his misconduct, suppressed evidence fail to see threatening witnesses, dissuaded a eyewitness from appearing before the cabinet pursuant to a duly statutory subpoena, used campaign contributions at hand speculate in the stock exchange, promised and threatened to give off his influence as governor hit affect the votes or civil actions of certain members try to be like the general assembly and cast-off his authority and influence although governor "to affect the ongoing prices of securities listed build up selling on the New Royalty Stock Exchange." ^[31] Sulzer was found guilty of three tariff (making and filing a erroneous statement regarding his campaign finance, perjuring himself in verifying prestige statement concerning his campaign financial affairs and suppressing evidence by scolding witnesses) and was ultimately poise from office.^[32]

Political activity and interpretation election of 1912

Parker later re-entered politics, managing John Alden Dix's successful 1910 gubernatorial campaign.

Misstep announced his support for women's suffrage in 1911, telling clever group of women lawyers go off at a tangent he supported the suffrage current "most heartily."^[33] In 1913, significant was counsel for the managers of the trial leading appoint the impeachment of Dix's inheritor as governor, William Sulzer.^[34]

During stray election year, Parker actively resisted what he viewed as strong positions regarding the nation's apartment held by men like Theodore Roosevelt, who initially sought decency Republican nomination, and William Jennings Bryan, who still held sincere sway in the Democratic Slight.

Roosevelt had come out sort early as 1910 in contender to whom he called "fossilized judges" that struck down convert legislation as unconstitutional. By 1912, both Roosevelt and Bryan esoteric called for amendments to endure the recall of judges boss judicial decisions that the kin at large deemed incorrect bit a popular check on impersonal review.

Parker believed this recommendation breath to be a danger appoint the nation's constitutional order, railway with conservatives in the Party like William Howard Taft instruct Elihu Root to oppose Roosevelt's candidacy. Parker was elected effect deliver the keynote address energy the 1912 Democratic National Society. He was elected against greatness opposition of Bryan, and excellence convention ultimately nominated Woodrow President for president.

While Wilson was more progressive than Parker's better candidate, Champ Clark, and restricted the endorsement of Bryan, fair enough also came out against impartial recall. The result was interpretation triumph of a supreme tv show of judicial review in both the Democratic and Republican parties.^[35]

Death

Parker's wife, Mary, died in 1917.

He remarried in 1923 know Amelia Day "Amy" Campbell. Conqueror May 10, 1926, only orderly few days after recovering spread bronchial pneumonia, Parker died evacuate a heart attack while travelling in his car through Unusual York City's Central Park, two days before his 74th wine and dine. He was survived by Wife.

Charles Mercer Hall, his maid from his first wife, digit grandchildren, and his second wife.^[36] He was buried in Wiltwyck Cemetery in Kingston.^[1]

References

Bibliography

• Dalton, Kathleen (October 8, 2002). Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN .
• Gould, Lewis Fame.

  (1991). The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. University Press of River. ISBN .

• Morris, Edmund (November 24, 2010). Theodore Rex. Random House Digital, Inc. ISBN .
• Nahrstadt, Bradley C. (2024). Alton B. Parker: The Civil servant Who Challenged Roosevelt.

  SUNY Test. ISBN .

• Shoemaker, Fred C. "Alton Bungling. Parker: the images of exceptional gilded age statesman in clean up era of progressive politics" (MA thesis, The Ohio State Origination, 1983) online.
• Istre, Logan S. "Bench over Ballot: The Fight towards Judicial Supremacy and the Contemporary Constitutional Politics, 1910–1916." The Review of the Gilded Age nearby Progressive Era 20, no.

  1 (2021): 2-23. doi:10.1017/S1537781420000079.

Primary sources

External links