Early life Parker was born on 24 May 1817 in
Lyminge,
Kent. He came to the
Swan River Colony with his father
Stephen Parker and his family, in February 1830. His father had intended to be associated with land dealings with
Thomas Peel on behalf of some English investors. However, these did not come to fruition and instead he took up a land grant in
Guildford, Western Australia. After several years, the family moved to
York, Western Australia, where they established a property called Northbourne.
Career He started his adult life as a landowner. He purchased a property in York, which proved highly lucrative. From there, he acquired several other leases in the York district and, in 1858, established a flour mill in the town. In the 1860s, he was made a
Justice of the Peace by
Governor Sir
Frederick Weld. Parker was, for eight years, the chairman of the Roads Board and was a member of the town council. In (about) 1874, he was appointed as a nominee member of the Legislative Council by Governor Sir
William Robinson and held the position for eight years. He retired in February 1882 and moved to
Perth to live. After his retirement, he became a member of the
Aborigines Protection Board and was a trustee of the
Church of England diocese in Western Australia.
Personal life and death He married Elizabeth Sewell in 1844. Their son,
Stephen Henry Parker (1846–1927), served as the
chief justice of the
Supreme Court of Western Australia from 1906 to 1914. He died in 1904. ==References==