David Stuart Parker
David Stuart Parker (born March 22, 1919 in Fort Huachuca , Arizona , † May 9, 1990 in Greenbrae , California ) was an American engineer , major general of the US Army Corps of Engineers and from 1971 to 1975 governor of the Panama Canal Zone .
Life
Parker joined the US Army after school and was promoted to lieutenant after graduating from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1940 . In the following years he served after studying in the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). After he became a member of the administrative staff of the Commanders in Chief in the Pacific War , Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and General Douglas MacArthur , in 1945, he was head of the construction department in the office of the chief engineer of the US Forces in Tokyo between 1945 and 1948 .
After returning to the United States, he became an instructor and then professor of military topography and graphics at the US Military Academy in 1949 , before he was deputy district engineer for the USACE district for the Northwestern District in Portland between 1954 and 1956 . This was followed by a position from 1957 to 1960 as head of the strategic planning group in the office of the chief engineer of the USACE.
Between 1963 and 1965 he was Lieutenant Governor of the Panama Canal Zone. After his promotion to major general in 1967, he became commander of engineering troops in Vietnam during the Vietnam War in 1968 and held this post until 1969.
In March 1971, Parker succeeded Walter P. Leber as governor of the Panama Canal Zone and held that office until March 1975.
In this function he was directly involved in important changes and innovations, such as the necessary support and guidance for developing the basis and presentation of the first toll increase in the history of the Panama Canal. Another change was the establishment of the new shipping control center in La Boca as well as the public celebrations on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the opening of the canal in August 1974. Furthermore, the Office for Equal Opportunities and the Federal Women's Program were established during his tenure. Other personnel and organizational changes included the assignment of an official from the US State Department to the canal administration, the assignment of a US Coast Guard officer to the shipping office, the establishment of a new security department, the establishment of an advisory body on educational issues, and other efforts, the civil council the canal zone to participate in decision-making processes.
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Parker, David Stuart |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American Army Officer and Governor of the Panama Canal Zone |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 22, 1919 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fort Huachuca , Arizona |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 9, 1990 |
| Place of death | Greenbrae , California |