Charles Stuart Parker

Who was Charles Stuart Parker?

Charles Stuart Parker was a British academic, writer and Liberal politician.

Parker was the eldest son of the Charles Stuart Parker, merchant, of Aigburth, Liverpool, and Fairlie, Ayrshire, and his wife Anne Sandbach. He was educated at Eton and at University College, Oxford. After obtaining a first class degree he became a fellow of his college in 1854. He was a public examiner at Oxford in 1859, 1860, 1863, and 1868. From 1864 to 1868 he was Private Secretary to Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell when he was Secretary of State for the Colonies. Cardwell married Parker's sister Annie.

At the 1868 general election, Parker was elected as the Member of Parliament for Perthshire. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Military Education from 1869 to 1870, and of the Scottish Endowed Schools Commission from 1872 to 1874, and was one of the Special Commissioners for Public Schools. Parker lost his Perthshire seat at the 1874 general election. He was returned the House of Commons as MP for Perth at a by-election in January 1878 at a by-election, and held the seat until 1892. He was chairman of referees on Private Bills in the 1885 parliament.

Parker collated and published the papers of Sir Robert Peel in 1899. He also published Life and Letters of Sir James Graham, Second Baronet of Netherby, P.C., G.C.B., 1792-1861 in 1907.