But the combination of political opposition, the vulnerability of a Native American official to accusations in a climate where his authority was never fully accepted, and the exhaustion of fighting on multiple fronts simultaneously proved to be more than the tenure could sustain.

It was not the only time in American history that a reformer in a government position found that the system resists reform more effectively than it resists the reformer.

But the racial and ethnic dimensions of Parker’s situation added weight that his successors in comparable positions did not carry.

The Paradox He Lived In

To understand what Parker’s tenure as Commissioner means in historical perspective, it helps to hold two things in mind at the same time.

The first is that his appointment was genuinely significant.