Parker H. French

Candidate Biography:

Parker Hardin French
Born: April 2, 1826 in Mason Co., Kentucky
Married: Lucretia Edwards*, Rebecca Claggett (twice)
Children: Matilda Strong, Hugh Murray, Nancy Reed, Ellie Lucretia, Parker H. Jr
Military Service: British Navy (First Opium War), Private Army of William Walker (Campaign of 1856–1857)
Died: June 19, 1878 in New York, New York

1853: District Attorney, San Luis Obispo County
1855: Minister of Hacienda (Secretary of the Treasury), Republic of Nicaragua (filibuster)
1855: Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary, Republic of Nicaragua (filibuster)

• FAMILY TIES: Before he married her, Lucretia was his step-sister.
• OUCH: French lost his right arm in a gunfight on October 9, 1850 near Corralitos, Chihuahua, Mexico. In a separate incident, French was shot in the leg in Sacramento in March 1855.
• Decorum: On January 18, 1855 he punched former Governor John McDougal in the face.
• In addition to his service in the British Navy and the Private Army of William Walker, French also may have been involved in an unsuccessful invasion of Cuba in May 1850.

Source: The War in Nicaragua by William Walker (1860)
Source: Kentucky Barracuda by Joe Goodbody (Mascot Books; 2018) <--Great book.