Biography of Rev. John Dempster Parker Excerpted from "Collections of the Kansas State Historical Society, 1911-1912", Edited by Geo. W. Martin, Secretary. Vol XII., State Printing Office, Topeka, Kansas 1912. submitted by Teresa Lindquist (merope@radix.net); (copyright) 2001 by Teresa Lindquist ----------------------------------------------------------------------- KSGENWEB INTERNET GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY COPYRIGHT NOTICE: In keeping with the KSGenWeb policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Rev. John Dempster Parker, the son of Rev. Roswell Parker and Mary (Batcheller) Parker, was born at Homer, N. Y., September 8, 1831. In 1836 the family moved to Michigan, and at the age of nineteen young Parker became a telegraph operator. He took a classical course in the University of Michigan, and later taught school in Indiana and Illinois. He then took a theological course in the Chicago Theological Seminary, and began preaching. In 1866 he was elected professor of natural science in Lincoln (now Washburn) College, Topeka. He was pastor of a Congregational church at Burlington, Kan. In 1871 Governor Harvey appointed him superintendent of the Kansas Institution for the Blind. After four years' service in this position he served seven years as a missionary in Kansas City, Mo. He established the Kansas Academy of Science and also a similar institution in Kansas City, Mo. In 1881 he was commissioned post chaplain in the army, serving at Fort McKavitt, Fort Stockton, Fort Hays and Fort Riley, his last station being San Diego, Cal., where he was retired in 1896. He had a brother, Rev. Roswell D. Parker, at one time pastor of the Congregational church in Manhattan. Both of these men were very prominent in church and educational circles in the early days. Dr. Parker died at the Presidio, San Francisco, March 8, 1909. (Included with the article "Earthquake in Kansas.", page 121)