Born: January 13, 1836, Castine, Maine.
Died: May 28, 1920, Hartford, Connecticut, shortly after celebrating the 60th anniversary of his installation as pastor there, and the 250th anniversary of the church.
Buried: Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford, Connecticut.
Parker married twice: to Lucy M. Harris (1859) and Laura A. Parker (1895).
He was educated at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine (where he was the poet of the class of 1856); Bangor Theological Seminary, Maine; and Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Entering the Congregational ministry, he became pastor of the South Congregational Church, Hartford, Connecticut, in January 1860, and served there until 1912.
Beside editing some Sunday school hymn and tune books, he edited the Congregational Book of Praise (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: 1874) and The Christian Hymnal (Hartford, Connecticut: 1877, revised 1889), and served as Senate Chaplain for the state of Connecticut.