Judge Parker
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great lawyer, a great judge
and a great citizen. is the way
that Mr. Lawrence describes the
senior circuit judge of the
Fourth Circuit.
By It. C. LAWRENCE
I HAVE recently been engaged in
I making up a list of the illustrious
■ men produced by the different
counties of our state, and when 1 got
to Union County, I struck a large
snag:
Was President Andrew Jackson
born in Union County, or was lie born
just across the line in South Carolina?
You will find n monument on our side
of the state line saying that the fight¬
ing President was born in Union, hut
across the line in South Carolina you
will also find a monument saying he
was horn over there, all of which is a
trific confusing to the lay mind and
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leave the question to the genealogists.
But when we come to the other great
sons of Union there is no such doubt,
for Governor Thomas Walter Bicketl.
our golden hearted and silver-tongued
World War Governor, and the dis¬
tinguished educator, Dr. Enoch Wal¬
ter Sikes. Professor of Political Econ¬
omy at Wake Forest College. Presi¬
dent of Coker College and of Clemson
College in South Carolina, were both
born in Union, as was the subject of
this article, Judge John J. Parker.
Attended the University
Tho Judge took his academic de¬
gree from the University, and is so
zealous a partisan of that institution
that he has long been a member of
its Board of Trustees, and he has also
served many years as a member of its
rather small Executive Committee.
Dr. Frank Graham has no trouble in
getting Judge Parker to agree with
him in making any plea for a larger
appropriation for the institution of
his affections.
Then the Judge went back to his
native county of Union and hung out
his legal shingle at Monroe, where lie
entered into partnership with A. M.
Stack, able Democratic solicitor; and
the firm of Stack and Parker became
one of the outstanding firms of Pied¬
mont Carolina. It was a curious sort
of partnership, Stack being one of the
lending Democrats of his section,
Parker being one of the leading Re¬
publicans of the state. This partner¬
ship lasted until the election of Judge
Stack to the bench of the Superior
Court, on which he served with dis¬
tinction for many years. But long
before the dissolution of this firm,
Parker had acquired a legal reputa¬
tion which enabled him to command
an extensive and lucrative practice,
and which made him one of the out¬
standing lawyers of Piedmont Caro¬
lina.
Commanding Ability
There are but two ways in which a
young lawyer can add to his reputa¬
tion and increase liie prestige — before
a jury in the courthouse and before
an audience on the political hustings.
Judge Parker used both methods to
such advantage that in apparent con¬
flict with the language of the scrip¬
tures. lie added cubits to his own
stature! For no man could hear Judge
Parker try a ease or make a stump
speech without recognizing that here
was a man of commanding ability.
I can speak with authority on this
subject, because the territory in
which T long practiced at the bar im¬
pinged somewhat upon the preserves
staked out by Judge Parker, and T
have therefore encountered him as
my opponent in many a case in more
than one courthouse, and I soon
learned to inwardly groan as soon as T
heard that Parker was to appear on
the other side. Some of the many grey
hairs which now adorn my temples
were put there by the rough going
which I encountered when I entered
the legal lists and jousted in legal
tournaments with the Judge as my
opponent.
There are two sorts of lawyers:
There are those who can win eases
before a jury but who are somewhat
fogey when they face a legal argument
before an appellate tribunal; while
on the other hand there are those who
cannot handle even the simplest case
Photo copyrighted by Kirns & Ewing.
before a jury, but who are completely
at home when making an argument
before the Supreme Court. Judge
Parker is one of the few for lit nates
who can both win his case In-fore tlu-
jurv and hold his verdict when the
appeal is heard.
It has been my fortune to encounter
at various times, either as associates
or ns adversaries, quite a number of
the ranking lawyers of our state, such
men as James II. Pou of Raleigh, Gov¬
ernor Ehringhaus, then from Eliza¬
beth City, Aubrey L. Brooks of
Greensboro, Clement Manly of Win¬
ston, Charles W. Tillelt and Edwin T.
Causlcr of Charlotte, Governor Clyde
R.
Носу,
et a Is., and I do not hesitate
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