Charles H. Parker
Charles H. Parker (November 16, 1814 – March 3, 1890) was an American machinist, cutler, and manufacturer who helped shape Beloit, Wisconsin. He was Beloit’s 5th and 21st mayor, serving from 1861 to 1862 and again from 1884 to 1887. He also served three terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly (1868–1869 and 1878). Most of his political career was with the Republican Party, but he ran as a Greenback in 1878.
Born in Newton, Massachusetts, Parker grew up with limited schooling. His father, a sea captain, died when Charles was young. The family moved several times in Massachusetts, then to Concord, New Hampshire, where he worked as a cutler. He moved west in 1848 and settled first in Belvidere, Illinois, where he managed Dr. Jonathan Stone’s farm and met Eleanor Stone, whom he would marry.
Parker and Eleanor moved to Beloit in 1850. In 1852 they started Parker & Stone Reaper Company with his brother-in-law Gustavus Stone, making farming tools and machinery. Parker became the company’s president as it grew. He served many years as an Beloit alderman and sat on Rock County’s board.
In 1876 Parker was elected to the Wisconsin Assembly as a Greenback. He ran for Congress in 1878 as a Greenback but was defeated. Parker & Stone later closed, and the factory moved to Milwaukee, later becoming part of Milwaukee Harvester and then International Harvester. His son Lowell Holden Parker helped run the Second National Bank of Beloit, where Charles remained president until his death.
Charles and Eleanor had several children, including Lowell Holden Parker (1848–1937). Charles H. Parker died in Beloit and is buried in Oakwood Cemetery.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:24 (CET).