Ey Parker

Ely Parker (Seneca) was the first Native American to head the Office of Indian Affairs. He was appointed in 1869 by President Grant, whom he served as secretary during the Civil War. As a young man in upstate New York, Parker became friends with a local businessman, Lewis Henry Morgan, an early and influential ethnologist, who arranged for his education as an engineer. He worked on improvements to the Erie Canal. When the Civil War began he tried to enlist but was turned down until Grant, whom he had met in Illinois after the Mexican-American War, vouched for him. As Grant’s adjutant, Parker was present at Appomattox Court House for the surrender of Robert E. Lee, who is supposed to have said to him, “I’m glad to see one real American here,” to which Parker responded, “We are all Americans” (109). As Commissioner of Indian Affairs...