Owen Parker

He was educated at the Chichele Grammar School in Higham Ferrers, then worked as a clerk in the London & North-Western Railway to gain business experience.

[1] In 1897, he was elected to Higham Ferrers Town Council, and served as Mayor on eight occasions before retiring in 1919.

[2] He was elected President of the Incorporated Federated Associations of Boot and Shoe Manufacturers of Great Britain and Ireland in 1913, and in this capacity was an advisor to the government during the First World War, helping coordinate the industry to cope with the heavy demands of wartime production.

[1] He also chaired the committee overseeing the Derby Scheme for recruitment in the Midlands, and sat on the conscription appeals tribunal.

[4] Parker took heavy personal losses and his health suffered; he died aged 76 at his home in Higham Ferrers in November 1936.