Cortlandt Parker (attorney)

Cortlandt Parker
Parker in 1900
President of the American Bar Association
In office
1883–1884
Preceded byAlexander Lawton
Succeeded byJohn W. Stevenson
Prosecutor of the Pleas for Essex County, New Jersey
In office
1857–1867
Preceded byJacob Van Arsdale
Succeeded byCaleb S. Titsworth
Personal details
Born(1818-06-27)27 June 1818
Perth Amboy, New Jersey, US
Died29 July 1907(1907-07-29) (aged 89)
Newark, New Jersey, US
Resting placeMount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, New Jersey, US
PartyRepublican
Other political
affiliations		Whig
Spouse
Elizabeth Wolcott Stites
​
​
(m. 1847⁠–⁠1907)​
RelationsJames Parker (father)
Cortlandt Parker (grandson)
James Parker (great-grandson)
Children9 (including James Parker, Richard W. Parker, Charles Wolcott Parker)
EducationRutgers College
ProfessionAttorney

Cortlandt Parker (27 June 1818 – 29 July 1907) was an American attorney from Newark, New Jersey. As 1836 graduate of Rutgers College, he studied law, attained admission to the bar in 1839, and practiced in Newark. Parker specialized in corporation law and was a leader of New Jersey's legal community; in addition to serving as president of the American Bar Association, he held prominent positions in the Newark, Essex County, and New Jersey bar associations.

Early life

Cortlandt Parker was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on 27 June 1818.[1] His father, James Parker, served in the United States House of Representatives and as mayor of Perth Amboy.[2] His mother, Penelope Coats Butler, died when Parker was five years old; his father remarried in 1827, and Parker was raised by his stepmother, Catherine Morris Ogden.[2] Parker grew up and was educated in Perth Amboy.[1] At age 14, he attained admission to Rutgers College.[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1836, was ranked first in his class, and was selected as the valedictorian.[1][3] Among his classmates were Joseph P. Bradley, Frederick T. Frelinghuysen, William A. Newell, and Henry Waldron.[1]

After his college graduation, Parker read law with Theodore Frelinghuysen.[1] When Frelinghuysen left his legal practice to become president of New York University, Parker continued his legal studies in the office of Amzi Armstrong.[1] He attained admission to the bar in 1839.[1] Also in 1839, he received his Master of Arts degree from Rutgers.[3] He then began to practice in Newark as the partner of Bradley and Frederick Frelinghuysen.[1] He also became active in politics as a Whig.[1] Parker was a proponent of the party's principles including a strong federal government, internal improvements, protective tariffs, and abolition, and he frequently gave campaign speeches on behalf of Whig candidates.[1]

Continued career

In 1847, Parker married Elizabeth Wolcott Stites.[4] They were married until her death and were the parents of nine children.[4] Among their sons were Major General James Parker, U.S. Representative Richard W. Parker, and Judge Charles Wolcott Parker.[5][6] Among their grandchildren was Major General Cortlandt Parker (1884–1960), and among their great-grandchildren was art historian James Parker (1924–2001).[7][8]

When the Republican Party was founded in the mid-1850s as the main anti-slavery party, Parker became an early adherent.[9] In 1857, he was appointed Prosecutor of the Pleas for Essex County, New Jersey, and he served until 1867.[4] In 1866, Parker received two honorary degrees, an LL.D. from Rutgers College and an LL.D. from Princeton University.[3] He supported the Union during the American Civil War.[1] After the war, he played a key role in persuading New Jersey to ratify the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which defined U.S. citizenship and provided for equal protection under federal law.[1] Though he campaigned for other candidates, he turned down many opportunities to serve in elective and appointed office, including Attorney General of New Jersey, associate justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, chancellor of the New Jersey Court of Chancery, member of the tribunal that settled the Alabama Claims, minister to Russia, and minister Austria-Hungary.[1]

Parker was a member of Newark's Trinity Episcopal Church for over five decades and served as a vestryman, Sunday school superintendent, and warden.[10] He was an accomplished orator on historical, political, and religious topics, and many of his speeches were reprinted as books or pamphlets.[10] A partial list of Parker's speeches and written works includes:[10]

Later career

In 1871, Parker was one of three commissioners appointed to revise New Jersey's statutes.[1] In 1873, he served on the commission that settled the boundary between Delaware and New Jersey.[1] He was active in promoting ethical standard and professional development in the legal profession, and held leadership roles in the Newark, Essex County, and New Jersey bar associations.[11] He was also active in the American Bar Association and served as its president from 1883 to 1884.[11]

As a senior member of the New Jersey bar, his law partners included his son Richard W. Parker and Anthony Quinton Keasbey.[2] He continued to reside in Newark while also maintaining a summer home in Perth Amboy.[1] He continued to practice law nearly until his death; in 1906, he argued a successful appeal before the Court of Chancery.[2] Later that year, he argued before the state legislature in favor of a bill that allowed continued use of the Morris Canal for commercial purposes.[2] Parker died in Newark on 29 July 1907.[11] He was buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Nelson, William, ed. (1913). Nelson's Biographical Cyclopedia of New Jersey. Vol. I. New York: Eastern Historical Publishing Society. pp. 71–75 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b c d e Colie, Edward M. (April 1920). "Cortland Parker, 1818–1907". Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society. Newark, New Jersey: New Jersey Historical Society. pp. 75–76 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ a b c General Catalogue of Princeton University 1746-1906. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University. 1908. p. 427 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ a b c Jones, W. Northey (1923). The History of St. Peter's Church in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Perth Amboy, New Jersey: St. Peter's Church. pp. 435–439 – via Google Books.
  5. ^ Condit Family Association: Descendants of John Condit (1916). Genealogical Record of the Condit Family. Newark, New Jersey: The Essex Press. p. 141 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ Scannell, J. J., ed. (1917). Scannell's New Jersey's First Citizens and State Guide. Vol. I. Paterson, New Jersey: J. J. Scannell. pp. 385–386 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ Vogel, Carol (June 23, 2001). "James Parker, 77, Curator of European Decorative Arts at the Met". The New York Times. New York. p. A-11 – via TimesMachine.
  8. ^ "Cortlandt Parker, newspaper publisher, dies at age 80". New Jersey Hills Media Group. Whippany, New Jersey. August 7, 2002.
  9. ^ "New Jersey: In New Jersey the Republican party..." Brooklyn Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. September 20, 1859. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c A History of the City of Newark, New Jersey. Vol. II. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing. 1913. pp. 659–661 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ a b c "Cortlandt Parker Dead; Famous Jersey Jurist Refused Many High Federal Appointments". The New York Times. New York. July 31, 1907. p. 7 – via TimesMachine.
  12. ^ "Cortlandt Parker's Funeral Saturday". The Evening Journal. Jersey City, New Jersey. July 31, 1907. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
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