Foxhall Alexander Parker Sr. (1788 – 23 November 1857) was an officer in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He was Commander-in-Chief of the

East India Squadron The East India Squadron, or East Indies Squadron, was a squadron of American ships which existed in the nineteenth century, it focused on protecting American interests in the Far East while the Pacific Squadron concentrated on the western coast ...

(ie. U.S. Navy forces in the Far East), commanded the

Home Squadron The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the Atlantic slave trade, make coastal surveys, ...

, and was commander of the .

Biography

Parker was born in Rock Spring,

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a county located in the Northern Neck of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross. History As originally established by the Virginia colony's ...

. In 1814, he married Sarah Jay Bogardus (born 1794), daughter of

Robert Bogardus Robert Bogardus (May 22, 1771 "Possession House", St. John's Park, New York City – September 12, 1841 New York City) was an American lawyer and politician from New York, a lineal descendant of Dominie Everardus Bogardus. Life He was the son of ...

(1771–1841). They had eight children, including Foxhall A. Parker Jr. (1821–1879) and

William Harwar Parker William Harwar Parker (October 8, 1826 – December 30, 1896) was an officer in the United States Navy and later in the Confederate States Navy. His autobiography, entitled ''Recollections of a Naval Officer 1841–1865'', provides a unique insigh ...

(1826–1896), who were also prominent naval officers.

Career

Parker joined the Navy as a

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

on January 1, 1808. During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

he was captured at sea. He was commissioned

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on March 9, 1813,

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

on March 3, 1825, and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on March 3, 1835. In 1821, he served in as first lieutenant, and he assumed command of her in 1842. Parker was appointed commander of the East Indian Squadron in 1843. While in this position he was involved with

Caleb Cushing Caleb Cushing (January 17, 1800 – January 2, 1879) was an American Democratic politician and diplomat who served as a Congressman from Massachusetts and Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce. He was an eager proponent of territoria ...

's mission to Macao where Parker and Cushing were the two of the three signatories of the historic first Sino-American pact, known as the

Treaty of Wanghia The Treaty of Wanghia (also known as the Treaty of Wangxia; Treaty of peace, amity, and commerce, between the United States of America and the Chinese Empire; ) was the first of the unequal treaties imposed by the United States on China. As per ...

. Following his assignment with Cushing, while commanding the Boston naval yard (an assignment he held for three and a half years), he was sent to Europe in 1848 to advise the German government. They had requested an American officer to assist with the organization of their navy. He was sent on the recommendation of the Secretary of the Navy, John T. Mason. While there he was entertained by the King of Germany and other dignitaries, and then offered Supreme Command of the German Navy (

Reichsflotte The ''Reichsflotte'' (, ''Imperial Fleet'') was the first navy for all of Germany, established by the revolutionary German Empire to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark. The decision was made on 14 June 1848 by the F ...

), established in 1848, it was the first navy for all of Germany. He declined, his son later presumed, because he didn't want to leave the US Navy and was concerned about the unsettled state of Europe at the time. In 1851, Parker was appointed "special Commissioner" to

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, to meet with Spanish General Captain Concha, who held 156 American prisoners destined for prison mines over a failed insurrection. Parker's negotiations with Concha were made in parallel with other American diplomats, but Parker's contributions 'did no harm' in Concha's later decision to release the prisoners. Also in 1851, Parker was involved in an incident in Nicaragua involving a British ship firing on an American ship, which could have escalated into an Anglo-American war. The wealthy business magnate

Cornelius Vanderbilt Cornelius Vanderbilt (May 27, 1794 – January 4, 1877), nicknamed "the Commodore", was an American business magnate who built his wealth in railroads and shipping. After working with his father's business, Vanderbilt worked his way into lead ...

arrived by ship in the Nicaraguan port of Greytown (a British port), refused to pay port fees and steamed away. The British fired upon Vanderbilt and escorted his ship back to harbor where the angered Vanderbilt paid the fee. Parker with two warships was dispatched to Greytown where he informed the British the United States would not tolerate the collection of port duties by the British Navy. The British officer commanding the Royal Navy in the Caribbean (Vice-Admiral George F. Seymour) took immediate steps to defuse the crisis by admonishing the captain who had fired the shots, and sent one of his captains to meet with Parker and assure him "the interception of Vanderbilt's ship was completely unauthorized", and a larger incident was averted. In 1851, as a

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore, a ...

, he commanded the

. He was relieved from this assignment in 1853.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Foxhall A. Sr. People from Westmoreland County, Virginia 1788 births 1857 deaths United States Navy commodores United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812 People from Virginia in the War of 1812 War of 1812 prisoners of war held by the United Kingdom

Biography

Career

See also

References