James Wentworth Parker (November 28, 1886 – December 30, 1957) was an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

, president and general manager of the

Detroit Edison Company DTE Electric Company (formerly The Detroit Edison Company) was founded in 1886. DTE Electric's power generation portfolio includes renewable energy, but is primarily generated by fossil fuels. In 2021, 67.32% of electricity generated by DTE came ...

, and 61st president of the

American Society of Mechanical Engineers The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...

in 1942-1943. Parker was born in

Auburn, New York Auburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States. Located at the north end of Owasco Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in Central New York, the city had a population of 26,866 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city of Cayuga County, the ...

, to Charles A. Parker and Sara (Cole) Parker.Philip Parker Mason, ''Prismatic of Detroit: Prismatic Club, 1866-1966.'' 1970. p. 124 He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

in 1908, and started his lifelong career at Detroit Edison as apprentice in the boiler design group.Carl W. Hall. ''A Biographical Dictionary of People in Engineering: From the Earliest Records Until 2000.'' 2008. p. 168. He became Chief Assistant of Engineer at the Power Plants in 1915, Vice President in 1917, and Chief Engineer in 1924, and president and general manager from 1943 until his retirement in 1951. From 1947 to 1951 he chaired the Industrial Advisory Group of the

United States Atomic Energy Commission The United States Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by U.S. Congress to foster and control the peacetime development of atomic science and technology. President H ...

, and assisted in 1949 in Germany to reorganize the German utility system.
The Michigan Technic
'' Volumes 71-72. UM Libraries, 1952. p. 283 Parker was awarded honorary degrees from the

New York University Polytechnic School of Engineering The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United Sta ...

, the

Rensselaer Polytechnic Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Van ...

, the

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

, and the

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

References

1886 births 1957 deaths American mechanical engineers Cornell University alumni People from Auburn, New York Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Engineers from New York (state) {{US-mechanical-engineer-stub