Benjamin Parke

Benjamin Parke

Benjamin Parke (born September 22, 1777 in New Jersey , †  July 12, 1835 in Salem , Indiana ) was an American lawyer and politician . Between 1805 and 1808 he represented the Indiana Territory as a delegate in the US House of Representatives .

Career

After a fairly average school education, Benjamin Parke moved to Lexington , Kentucky in 1797 . After completing a law degree and being admitted to the bar in 1799, he began to work in Vincennes in what would later become the Indiana Territory in his new profession. After the official establishment of the territory, he took an active part in local political events. Between 1804 and 1808 he was Attorney General of the territory. In 1805 he was also a member of the Territorial House of Representatives.

In 1805 Parke was elected his homeland's first congress delegate. Between December 12, 1805 and March 1, 1808 he exercised this mandate, which overlapped with his work as Attorney General. Parke campaigned unsuccessfully for the introduction of slavery in his homeland. In the meantime he was on the staff of Governor William Henry Harrison and took part as a major in the British-American War of 1812 and an Indian War. Parke was a Territorial Judge between 1808 and 1817. He then served as a judge in the federal district court for the state of Indiana until 1835 .

In 1816, Parke was a delegate to the Indiana Constituent Assembly. He also became the first president of the Indiana Historical Society . He died in Salem on July 12, 1835; The Parke County was named after him.

Web links

• Benjamin Parke in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)

• Benjamin Parke in the database of Find a Grave (English)