Clarence Lucas Parker
Papers, 1903-1924

SC22107

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Biographical Note:

Clarence Lucas Parker was born in Whitesville, New York on September 19, 1849. He was the son of Abraham Martin and Sophronia Putnam Parker. Clarence Parker married Katherine Seymour Yorke in 1875 and they had one son, Hiram Yorke Parker. Katherine Parker died on April 18, 1902. Clarence was remarried on September 8, 1903 to the widow May Stebbins, the daughter of Cyrus B. Martin and Ann Vernette Maydale. His son, Hiram, died on June 8, 1915 in [Taber, Alberta, Canada?].

Parker spent approximately twenty-five years of his life designing and building artesian wells, primarily in the South. At home in Chenango County, New York, where he was a member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew and several Masonic bodies including the Knights Templar, Parker was an avid hunter and conservationist and was very active in Republican Party politics.

In the early 1900s, Parker became disillusioned with the Republican Party for what he perceived to be dishonest activities. He became an early member of the National Progressive Party and was quite active in promoting its platform.

Parker wrote many articles for Forest and Stream magazine and was often in communication with state and federal officials in regards to his views.

Clarence Parker died in Norwich, New York on April 27, 1925. He was survived by his wife, May, and a brother, Lewis B. Parker of Rochester, New York. Parker was interred in Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Scope and Contents Note:

Arrangement: Collection is separated into two subject areas - Conservation and Politics.

The papers of Clarence Lucas Parker span approximately twenty-two years, from 1902 to1924. An avid hunter, Parker was an outspoken advocate for the enactment of laws and regulations which would protect the land, forests and wildlife of the New York Adirondacks from what he believed was excessive commercial development. His work concerning conservation issues included correspondence with many elected New York officials, including Governors Frank W. Higgins and Charles Evans Hughes, Senator Franklin D. Roosevelt, Senator Elihu Root, the Honorable H. Leary Austin and the Honorable Gifford Pinchot.

Parker also wrote many articles for Forest and Stream magazine regarding forest preservation, fish and game laws and the use of state lands and waterways by commercial power supply companies. He was often consulted on and made suggestions for a variety of legislative initiatives and was an active lobbyist on conservation issues. For many years, he was a member of the Camp-Fire Club and the Fish, Game and Forest League and wrote detailed reports on the subjects of wildlife preservation, land use and game laws.

While Parker often expressed his pride in his Republican Party roots, in the early 1900s he became quite disgusted at what he perceived to be dishonest activities perpetrated by politicians from his area. In particular, he was incensed by the actions of Sen. Jotham Allds; he strongly believed that Allds was engaging in illegal activities by privately representing commercial lumber interests while sitting on the legislative committees hearing testimony regarding conservation initiatives. Parker engaged in correspondence with many public officials regarding these concerns, including Theodore Roosevelt, Senator Root, Governor Hughes and President Taft.

His disillusionment with the Republican Party led to his affiliating himself with Theodore Roosevelt's National Progressive Party. His activities with the Progressives included correspondence with Roosevelt, President Woodrow Wilson and Governor William Sulzer of New York. In addition, he served on the Progressive Party election committee for Chenango County.

In addition to correspondence and reports, the collection also contains several boxes of newspaper clippings reflecting Parker's interest in both conservation and politics.

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