Luther Parker

{{short description|American political figure of the Republic of Indian Stream in the 1830s}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Luther Parker

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| order = Justice of the Peace of the Republic of Indian Stream

| term_start = July 9th, 1832

| term_end = August 5th, 1835

| predecessor = Office established
(Joseph M. Harper as Governor of New Hampshire)

| successor = Office abolished
(Issac Hill as Governor of New Hampshire)

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1800|12|18}}

| birth_place = Temple, New Hampshire, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1853|06|16|1800|12|18}}

| death_place = Muskego, Wisconsin, U.S.

| nationality = American

| other_names =

| occupation = {{Hlist | Shoemaker | teacher | politician}}

| years_active =

| known_for =

| spouse = Alletta French

| children = Charles D. Parker

}}

Luther Parker (December 18, 1800 – June 16, 1853) was an American pioneer, teacher, and politician. He served as justice of the peace (the highest constitutional officer) of the Republic of Indian Stream, located in what is now Pittsburg, New Hampshire.{{cite book|title=The Indian Stream Republic and Luther Parker|url=https://archive.org/details/indianstreamrepu00show|first=Grant|last=Showerman| publisher=New Hampshire Historical Society|year=1915|location=Concord, New Hampshire}} He later was an early settler in present-day Muskego, Wisconsin.

Biography

Born in Temple, New Hampshire, Parker was a shoemaker and taught school in Coos County, New Hampshire. After his marriage in 1827, he and his wife, Alletta, moved to what would become the Republic of Indian Stream, where he operated a store. Parker helped to draft the Indian Stream Constitution and served as justice of the peace, a role that made him one of the primary leaders of the Republic of Indian Stream. In 1835, the Canadian authorities arrested Parker. In 1836, he and his family moved to Muskego, Waukesha County, Wisconsin Territory. In 1846, Parker served in the Wisconsin Territorial House of Representatives,R. M. Bashford (comp.). [http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=goto&id=WI.WIBlueBk1877&page=147&isize=L The Legislative Manual of the State of Wisconsin]. 16th ed. Madison: R. B. Bolens, 1877, p. 147. first as a Democrat and then as a member of the Free Soil Party. In 1851, Parker served on the Waukesha County Board of Supervisors. He died in Muskego in 1853 at the age of 52.{{cite web|website=Muskego Historical Society|title=Luther Parker|url=http://www.muskegohistory.org/LutherParker.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140811192003/http://www.muskegohistory.org/LutherParker.aspx|archive-date=2014-08-11|url-status=dead|access-date=December 29, 2023}}Donna Jordan. New Hampshire's Connecticut Lakes Region. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003, p. 7.

Legacy

Parker's son, Charles D. Parker, served as the Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin from 1874 to 1878. In Muskego, Wisconsin, the cemetery where Luther Parker is buried is named in his honor.{{cite news |url=https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/waukesha/news/muskego/2018/09/05/muskego-and-civil-war-group-remain-odds-over-cemetery-upkeep/1159628002/ |title=Long-running dispute over cemetery upkeep between local Civil War group and Muskego continues in court |first=Jim |last=Riccioli |website=Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |date=September 5, 2018 |accessdate=August 13, 2019}} In Pittsburg, New Hampshire, a marker on the southwestern shore of First Connecticut Lake commemorates Parker's contributions to the Republic of Indian Stream,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.tourismecoaticook.ca/upload/guides-et-cartes/pdf/guide-touristique-Vallee-Coaticook-EN.pdf |magazine=Enchanté! Coaticook River Valley |page=13 |title=The Course |via=tourismecoaticook.ca |language=en |accessdate=August 15, 2019}} while a metal stele featuring a silhouette of Parker was erected in the town park in 2016.{{cite web |url=http://www.voiedespionniers.com/en/activites/inauguration-2016.shtml |title=Activities Pittsburg, New Hampshire |website=voiedespionniers.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815202158/http://www.voiedespionniers.com/en/activites/inauguration-2016.shtml|language=en|url-status=dead |access-date=December 29, 2023|archive-date=August 15, 2019}}

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| File:Luther_Parker_marker_at_First_Connecticut_Lake_1.jpg

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| Marker for Parker at First Connecticut Lake