He was present in Washington, D.C., as a young man, accompanying Seneca delegations that were trying to persuade Congress and the executive branch to honor the treaty provisions they regarded as fraudulently obtained and to allow the Tonawanda Band to remain in New York.

The 1857 Compromise, in which the Tonawanda Seneca were allowed to purchase back a portion of their reservation and remain in New York as a separate political unit from the other Seneca nations, was a significant victory — partial, imperfect, and purchased at a real cost, but a genuine outcome for a community that had been facing forced removal.

Parker’s advocacy, his work as interpreter and intermediary, and his connections in Washington contributed to that outcome.

He never ceased to think of himself as Tonawanda Seneca.