Ely S. Parker | |
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Hasanoanda | |
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Commissioner of Indian Affairs | |
In office 1869–1871 | |
President | Ulysses S. Grant |
Preceded by | Nathaniel Green Taylor |
Succeeded by | Francis Amasa Walker |
Personal details | |
Born | Ely Samuel Parker 1828 Indian Falls, New York, U.S. |
Died | August 31, 1895 (aged 66–67) Fairfield, Connecticut, U.S. |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Cemetery, Buffalo, New York, U.S. |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Haudenosaunee![]() |
Branch/service | United States Army (Union Army) |
Years of service | 1863–1869[1] |
Rank | ![]() ![]() |
Unit | Adjutant to General U.S. Grant 2nd U.S. Cavalry Regiment |
Battles/wars | |
Ely Samuel Parker (1828 – August 31, 1895), born Hasanoanda (Tonawanda Seneca), later known as Donehogawa, was an engineer, U.S. Army officer, aide to General Ulysses Grant, and Commissioner of Indian Affairs, in charge of the government's relations with Native Americans. He was bilingual, speaking both Seneca and English, and became friends with Lewis Henry Morgan, who became a student of the Iroquois in Upstate New York. Parker earned an engineering degree in college and worked on the Erie Canal, and other projects.
He was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel during the American Civil War, when he served as adjutant and secretary to General Ulysses S. Grant. He wrote the final draft of the Confederate surrender terms at Appomattox. Later in his career, Parker rose to the rank of brevet brigadier general.
When General Grant became president in 1869, he appointed Parker as Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the first Native American to hold that post.[1]
The Life of General Ely S. Parker, by Arthur Parker.(reprinted 2005, ISBN 1-889246-50-6)
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