Parker, Alton B. (Alton Brooks), 1852-1926

<p>Alton Brooks Parker (May 14, 1852 – May 10, 1926) was an American judge, best known as the Democrat who lost the presidential election of 1904 to incumbent Theodore Roosevelt in a landslide.</p>

<p>A native of upstate New York, Parker practiced law in Kingston, New York, before being appointed to the New York Supreme Court and elected to the New York Court of Appeals; he served as Chief Judge of the latter from 1898 to 1904, when he resigned to run for president. In 1904, he defeated liberal publisher William Randolph Hearst for the Democratic Party nomination for President of the United States. In the general election, Parker opposed popular incumbent Republican President Theodore Roosevelt. After a disorganized and ineffective campaign, Parker was defeated by 336 electoral votes to 140, carrying only the traditionally Democratic Solid South. He then returned to practicing law. He managed John A. Dix's successful 1910 campaign for Governor of New York and served as prosecution counsel for the 1913 impeachment of Dix's successor, Governor William Sulzer.</p>

<p>Alton B. Parker, (born May 14, 1852, Cortland, N.Y., U.S.—died May 10, 1926, New York, N.Y.), American jurist and Democratic presidential nominee in 1904, defeated by the incumbent, Theodore Roosevelt.</p>

<p>Having practiced law in Kingston, N.Y., Parker was elected surrogate of Ulster county in 1877 and reelected six years later. He also was active in state Democratic Party affairs. He was appointed to the New York Supreme Court in 1885, the state Appeals Court in 1889, and the appellate division of the state Supreme Court in 1896. From 1898 to 1904 Parker was chief justice of the New York Court of Appeals. On the bench, he was noted for upholding the rights of labour. Nominated on the first ballot at the Democratic convention in 1904, Parker, representing the eastern, pro–gold-standard wing of the party, differed little from his opponent, President Theodore Roosevelt. Parker was soundly defeated, taking only 38 percent of the popular vote and winning 140 electoral votes to Roosevelt’s 336. Thereafter he returned to his law practice.</p>