Joel Parker (November 24, 1816January 2, 1888) was an American attorney and
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
politician who served two non-consecutive terms as the 20th
governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official res ...
from 1863 to 1866 and 1872 to 1875. As a Democratic governor during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, Parker was one of the leading critics of the
Abraham Lincoln administration's domestic and military policy, though he was generally a supporter of the Union war effort. In
1868
Events
January–March
* January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries.
* January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...
and
1876
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
* February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...
, he was nominated for
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
by New Jersey's party delegation.
Early life and family
Joel Parker was born on November 24, 1816, near
Freehold Township, New Jersey
Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a regional commercial hub for Central New Jersey (home to the Freehold Raceway and Freehold Raceway Mall) and a bedroom community of New ...
to Charles and Sarah (Coward) Parker.
His father was a member of the
New Jersey Legislature
The New Jersey Legislature is the legislative branch of the government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, as defined by the New Jersey Constitution of 1947, the Legislature consists of two houses: the General Assembly and the ...
for several years, and served one term as state treasurer.
[ After his father's appointment as Treasurer, the family moved to Trenton. In 1833, his father became cashier of the Mechanics' and Manufacturers' Bank of Trenton and Joel was sent to Monmouth to tend the family's recently purchased farm.][
Joel graduated from the College of New Jersey (now known as ]Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
) in the class of 1839.[ After graduation, he worked in the law office of Henry W. Green, who later became chief justice and chancellor of the New Jersey courts. Parker was admitted to the bar in 1842 and opened a legal practice in ]Freehold
Freehold may refer to:
In real estate
*Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple
*Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England
*Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...
.[
]
Early political career
Parker became active in Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
politics in Freehold, campaigning for Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren ( ; nl, Maarten van Buren; ; December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was an American lawyer and statesman who served as the eighth president of the United States from 1837 to 1841. A primary founder of the Democratic Party (Uni ...
in 1840 and James K. Polk
James Knox Polk (November 2, 1795 – June 15, 1849) was the 11th president of the United States, serving from 1845 to 1849. He previously was the 13th speaker of the House of Representatives (1835–1839) and ninth governor of Tennessee (183 ...
in 1844.[
In 1847, he was elected to the General Assembly as a Democrat. Though the legislature had a Whig majority, Parker was able to secure passage of a tax reform package in 1850 which equalized taxation by taxing personal as well as real property.][
In 1851, Parker did not run for re-election to the Assembly but was appointed prosecutor of the pleas for Monmouth County (the equivalent of a modern County Prosecutor), in which office he served for five years.][ In 1857, he was elected Brigadier General in command of the Monmouth and Ocean Brigade of the New Jersey militia. He continued to be active in politics and served as a New Jersey ]presidential elector
The United States Electoral College is the group of presidential electors required by the Constitution to form every four years for the sole purpose of appointing the president and vice president. Each state and the District of Columbia appo ...
for Stephen A. Douglas
Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...
in 1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusett ...
.[
At the onset of the ]American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, New Jersey Governor Charles Smith Olden
Charles Smith Olden (February 19, 1799April 7, 1876) was an American merchant, banker, and politician who served as the 19th governor of New Jersey from 1860 to 1863 during the first part of the American Civil War. As Governor, Olden supported P ...
appointed Parker Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
of the New Jersey militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
.[
]
Governor of New Jersey
First term (1863–66)
In 1862, the Democratic Party of New Jersey nominated Parker for governor over Mayor of Newark Moses Bigelow
Moses Bigelow (January 12, 1800 – January 10, 1874) was an American politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and ...
.[ He ran as a "]War Democrat
War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were members of the Democratic Party who supported the Union and rejected the policies of the Copperheads (or Peace Democrats). The War Democrats demanded a more aggressive policy toward the Con ...
" who supported a military solution to the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
rather than accommodation of the Confederacy. He defeated Marcus L. Ward by the largest margin in New Jersey history up to that time.[
In his inaugural address in 1863, Parker affirmed that he viewed secession as a "political heresy" but affirmed the doctrine of state sovereignty over all matters not constitutionally delegated to the federal government. He further attributed the outbreak of war to "a minority of fanatical and ultra men in each section," and defended the war insofar as necessary to "defend and maintain the supremacy of the Constitution and preserve the Union."][ To that end, he was highly critical of the ]Lincoln administration
The presidency of Abraham Lincoln began on March 4, 1861, when Abraham Lincoln was United States presidential inauguration, inaugurated as the List of presidents of the United States, 16th president of the United States, and ended upon his Assass ...
for curtailing civil liberties
Civil liberties are guarantees and freedoms that governments commit not to abridge, either by constitution, legislation, or judicial interpretation, without due process. Though the scope of the term differs between countries, civil liberties may ...
in the name of the war effort, castigating Lincoln for suspending habeas corpus
''Habeas corpus'' (; from Medieval Latin, ) is a recourse in law through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court and request that the court order the custodian of the person, usually a prison official, t ...
, the Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
, and expanding his war powers generally. He pledged to counteract the Lincoln administration to protect civil liberties to whatever extent possible through his powers as Governor.[ In May 1863, Parker condemned the arrest, trial and deportation of ]Copperhead
Copperhead may refer to:
Snakes
* ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America
* '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...
Clement Vallandigham
Clement Laird Vallandigham ( ; July 29, 1820 – June 17, 1871) was an American politician and leader of the Copperhead faction of anti-war Democrats during the American Civil War. He served two terms for Ohio's 3rd congressional district in the ...
, saying the measures "were arbitrary and illegal acts. The whole proceeding was wrong in principle and dangerous in its tendency."
During Parker's first term, the anti-war Copperhead
Copperhead may refer to:
Snakes
* ''Agkistrodon contortrix'', or copperhead, a venomous pit viper species found in parts of North America
* '' Austrelaps'', or Australian copperhead, a genus of venomous elapids found in southern Australia and Ta ...
faction came to dominate the state legislature and passed "peace resolutions" which condemned the Lincoln administration along Parker's terms but additionally called on the federal government to appoint commissioners to negotiate a peace agreement. Despite reservations, Parker signed the resolutions on March 24, 1863. Because a peace agreement would end the war and allow the South to remain outside the Union, Republicans nationwide condemned them as nothing less than an endorsement of secession.[
Despite his signature of the resolutions, Parker remained a supporter of the Union war effort generally. During Robert E. Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863, Governor Parker raised and supplied several organized regiments of New Jersey volunteers to protect that state, for which he was thanked by President Lincoln and Pennsylvania Governor ]Andrew G. Curtin
Andrew Gregg Curtin (April 22, 1815/1817October 7, 1894) was a U.S. lawyer and politician. He served as the Governor of Pennsylvania during the Civil War, helped defend his state during the Gettysburg Campaign, and led organization of the cr ...
. In November, Parker attended the ceremonies dedicating the Soldiers' National Cemetery at which Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address is a Public speaking, speech that President of the United States, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Soldiers' National Cemetery, ...
.[
Though he raised volunteer regiments, Parker was resistant to an effort to conscript New Jerseyans into the war. Through 1863, he met the state's military quotas through the use of bounties.][ When a levy of 12,000 men was made on New Jersey in 1864, to make good a supposed deficiency in her former quotas, he obtained from President Lincoln the withdrawal of the order.][ In his first annual address, he criticized the ]Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...
but agreed with Lincoln that it was the duty of state authorities to "furnish the men necessary to destroy the armed power of the rebellion."[
In 1864, Parker opposed federal efforts to establish a railway through the state between ]New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, which would have undermined the state monopoly New Jersey had granted to the Camden & Amboy Railroad
The United New Jersey Railroad and Canal Company (UNJ&CC) was a railroad company which began as the important Camden & Amboy Railroad (C&A), whose 1830 lineage began as one of the eight or ten earliest permanent North AmericanList of Earliest Am ...
. The bill incorporating the new federal line died in the United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
.[
Parker's criticisms of the Lincoln administration reached their peak in August 1864, when he delivered a speech in his native ]Freehold
Freehold may refer to:
In real estate
*Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple
*Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England
*Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...
calling for a peaceful settlement of the war.[ While he continued to supply the necessary troops to repel Confederate invasions of the Union, Parker now blamed Republicans for obstructing efforts to end the war and continued to criticize efforts to abolish slavery, including the ]Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Thirteenth Amendment (Amendment XIII) to the United States Constitution abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. The amendment was passed by the Senate on April 8, 1864, by the House of Representative ...
, which he found inferior to gradual emancipation by the states. In his final annual address, Parker opposed black suffrage and called for "speedy resumption of the relations of all the States with the federal government" by the abolition of the Reconstruction governments, which he condemned as illegal.[
Parker established a method of settlement of the war debt so that not a bond of the state of New Jersey was sold below par, and at the close of the war in 1865 there was a surplus of $200,000 in the state treasury.
He strongly favored amnesty toward those that had actively supported the Confederacy in the Civil War.
After leaving office in 1866, he returned to his legal practice in Freehold.][
]
Second term (1872–75)
In 1871, Parker was elected to a second term in office, making him the first governor to win a second popular election.[ In his second term, he continued to criticize ]Reconstruction
Reconstruction may refer to:
Politics, history, and sociology
*Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company
*'' Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...
policies and express support for state sovereignty.[ Without the ongoing war, his second term focused more heavily on domestic policy, including corruption in state government. During his second term, the legislature passed more bills than in during previous administration.][ Among them was a general regulation of railroads.][
Parker also secured passage for a package of amendments to the state constitution, the first since its ratification in 1844.][ They included salary adjustments and an oath for legislators, guarantees for free education, prohibition on the passage of certain special or local laws, and a line-item veto in appropriation bills.][
Parker was an active supporter of the planned Centennial Exhibition to be held in Philadelphia in 1876.][
]
Post-governorship
Parker's preferred successor, Joseph D. Bedle, was elected in 1874. Bedle named Parker as Attorney General of New Jersey
The attorney general of New Jersey is a member of the executive cabinet of the state and oversees the Department of Law and Public Safety. The office is appointed by the governor of New Jersey, confirmed by the New Jersey Senate, and term limited. ...
in 1875. In 1880, Governor George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan (December 3, 1826 – October 29, 1885) was an American soldier, Civil War Union general, civil engineer, railroad executive, and politician who served as the 24th governor of New Jersey. A graduate of West Point, McCl ...
appointed Parker to the New Jersey Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of New Jersey is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In its current form, the Supreme Court of New Jersey is the final judicial authority on all cases in the state court system, including cases challenging the ...
, where he served until 1888. He served as a presidential elector again in 1876 for Samuel Tilden
Samuel Jones Tilden (February 9, 1814 – August 4, 1886) was an American politician who served as the 25th Governor of New York and was the Democratic candidate for president in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election. Tilden was ...
.[
He was a leading figure in the establishment of the monument to the ]Battle of Monmouth
The Battle of Monmouth, also known as the Battle of Monmouth Court House, was fought near Monmouth Court House in modern-day Freehold Borough, New Jersey on June 28, 1778, during the American Revolutionary War. It pitted the Continental Army, co ...
in Freehold.[
]
Presidential candidate
He was the "favorite son
Favorite son (or favorite daughter) is a political term.
* At the quadrennial American national political party conventions, a state delegation sometimes nominates a candidate from the state, or less often from the state's region, who is not a ...
" candidate supported by New Jersey electors at the Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 ...
s in 1868
Events
January–March
* January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries.
* January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsuhito, Emperor Meiji of Jap ...
, 1876
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin.
** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol.
* February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...
, and 1880
Events
January–March
* January 22 – Toowong State School is founded in Queensland, Australia.
* January – The international White slave trade affair scandal in Brussels is exposed and attracts international infamy.
* February †...
. In 1868, the New Jersey delegation cast their full vote for him in every ballot for the presidential nomination.[
]
Personal life
Parker married Maria Mott-Gummere in 1843 and the couple had two sons and a daughter.
Death and legacy
After serving as governor, Parker returned to the practice of law. He died on January 2, 1888, in Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. He was buried in Maplewood Cemetery
Maplewood Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Pleasant Street in Marlborough, Massachusetts. Established in 1864, the cemetery is the city's eighth. It is laid out in a roughly rectilinear manner, departing from the popular rural cemetery mov ...
in Freehold Township.
Legacy
In 1878, R. M. Stults dedicated th
Battle Monument Waltz
to Gov. Parker.
See also
* List of governors of New Jersey
References
External links
*New Jersey State Library
The New Jersey State Library, based in Trenton, New Jersey, was established in 1796 to serve the information needs of New Jersey's Governor, Legislature and Judiciary. The State Library is also responsible to assist in the provision of library and ...
New Jersey Governor Joel Parker
National Governors Association
The National Governors Association (NGA) is an American political organization founded in 1908. The association's members are the governors of the 55 states, territories and commonwealths. Members come to the association from across the politica ...
Political Graveyard information for Joel Parker
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Joel
1816 births
1888 deaths
Democratic Party governors of New Jersey
New Jersey Attorneys General
Justices of the Supreme Court of New Jersey
People of New Jersey in the American Civil War
Candidates in the 1868 United States presidential election
People from Freehold Township, New Jersey
Politicians from Monmouth County, New Jersey
Princeton University alumni
American Protestants
Union (American Civil War) state governors
Democratic Party members of the New Jersey General Assembly
Lawrenceville School alumni
Burials at Maplewood Cemetery, Freehold, New Jersey
19th-century American judges
19th-century American lawyers
19th-century American politicians