Judge Isaac C. Parker, the famous "hangin' judge" of old west history, raised two sons while on the bench in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Both his oldest son, Charles, and the younger James attended law school and followed their father into the practice of law. Charles originally practiced in Saint Louis, Missouri, but joined his mother in California after his father's death in 1896. Charles later moved his mother to Bryant County, Oklahoma, where he spent a short time as a judge before entering private practice. James also went to California after his father's death, but quickly returned to Fort Smith, Arkansas, to marry his sweetheart, Kate Bailey. James practiced law in Fort Smith until his early death in 1917. He is pictured in his office on Dodson Avenue, seated at his desk. James was buried in an unassuming location in Forest Park Cemetery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he was joined by his wife, and one of his daughters.
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