James Parker II

James Parker Jr. (March 3, 1776 – April 1, 1868) was a United States representative from New Jersey. He served as the Collector of the Port of New Jersey in Perth Amboy from 1829 to 1833. He was Mayor of Perth Amboy, New Jersey. Early life Parker was born at "Shipley", his father's farm in Bethlehem in the Province of New Jersey on March 3, 1776 to James Parker Sr. (1725–1797) and Gertrude MacGregor (née Skinner) Parker (1739–1811). His father was on the provincial council before the Revolution, an active member of the board of proprietors of the colony, and the owner of large landed properties. Through his father, Parker's great-grandfather was James Parker, a prominent colonial American printer and publisher. His maternal grandparents were the Rev. William Skinner (the Rector of St. Peter's Church in Perth Amboy) and Elizabeth (née Van Cortlandt) Skinner (the daughter of Stephanus Van Cortlandt, the first native born mayor of New York). His uncle was Brig. Gen. Cortlandt Skinner, the last Royal Attorney General of New Jersey and a Loyalist with the New Jersey Volunteers, also known as Skinner's Greens, during the Revolutionary War. Career Parker moved to Perth Amboy after the Revolution. He graduated from Columbia College of Columbia University in New York City in 1793, and then became a merchant in Manhattan, New York City, but on the death of his father returned to Perth Amboy.