Parker resigned as Commissioner of Indian Affairs in August 1871.

He had served for approximately two and a half years.

The resignation came under circumstances that speak to something beyond the specific allegations.

Parker was a Native man operating inside a federal system that had limited tolerance for genuine reform, that was heavily influenced by patronage networks he was trying to disrupt, and that included many people with both political and personal motives to see him fail.

The charges against him were, in the judgment of the independent review body, ultimately not sustained by the evidence.