Parker was born in Coos County, New Hampshire, in 1827; his family moved to Waukesha County, Wisconsin Territory, in 1836.
Parker then moved to the town of Pleasant Valley, St. Croix County, Wisconsin.
Parker served as chairman of the Pleasant Valley Town Board and on the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors.
He served as a Democrat in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1869 to 1870 and served two terms as the 12th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, from 1874 until 1878 under Governors William Taylor and Harrison Ludington.
He died on his 98th birthday, December 27, 1925, in River Falls, Wisconsin.