Isaac C. Parker
Isaac Charles Parker | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Isaac C. Parker, Fort Smith National Historic Site | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas | |
| In office March 19, 1875 – November 17, 1896 | |
| Appointed by | Ulysses S. Grant |
| Preceded by | William Story |
| Succeeded by | John Henry Rogers |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri | |
| In office March 4, 1871 – March 3, 1875 | |
| Preceded by | Joel Funk Asper |
| Succeeded by | David Rea |
| Constituency | 7th district (1871–1873) 9th district (1873–1875) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Isaac Charles Parker October 15, 1838 Barnesville, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | November 17, 1896 (aged 58) Fort Smith, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Resting place | Fort Smith National Cemetery, Fort Smith, Arkansas |
| Party | Democratic (until 1864) Republican (from 1864) |
| Spouse(s) | Mary O'Toole, 1861-1896 (his death) |
| Children | 2 sons with O'Toole |
| Education | Read law |
Isaac Charles Parker (October 15, 1838 – November 17, 1896), also known as "Hanging Judge" Parker, was an American politician and jurist. He served as a United States representative in two separate districts subsequently from Missouri and was appointed as the first United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas (sitting in Fort Smith, Arkansas on the border), which also had jurisdiction over the adjacent Indian Territory (future Oklahoma, 1907) to the west. He was appointed by 18th President Ulysses S. Grant in 1875 and served in the federal judiciary until his death in 1896.
Parker became known as the "hanging judge" of the American frontier, because he sentenced numerous convicts to death. In serving 21 years on the federal bench, Judge Parker tried 13,490 cases. In more than 8,500 of these cases, the defendant either pleaded guilty or was convicted at trial. Parker sentenced 160 people to death; 79 were executed. The other 81 either died while incarcerated, were pardoned, or had their sentences commuted.