James Vanderburgh Parker

James Vanderburgh Parker (December 15, 1830 – January 11, 1917) was an American heir and social leader who was prominent in New York society during the Gilded Age. Early life Parker was born on December 15, 1830, in Troy, New York, and grew up "in the old Parker home at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and Fifteenth Street" near Stuyvesant Square. He was the third child born to Charles Maverick Parker (1797–1872) and Cornelia (née Vanderburgh) Parker (1807–1886), who married in Troy, New York, in 1826. Of the four children, he was the only to live to maturity. His paternal grandparents were John Parker and Elizabeth (née Phillips) Parker of the "noted old Parker family of Boston" and his maternal grandparents were James Vanderburgh, the Town Clerk of Schodack and brother of Henry Vanderburgh, and Martha (née Strong) Vanderburgh of the old "Knickerbocker Dutch" Vanderburgh family of Albany. Career Parker received his education in France and at Heidelberg University in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, which is Germany's oldest university. After his return from Germany, he became a member of many clubs and was reportedly an "expert amateur billiard player, whist player, pigeon shot and whip, and when the Coaching Club was organized by Col. William Jay, DeLancey Kane and others, Mr. Parker was one of its most enthusiastic members, turning out many smart teams for the club's annual parades."