Ely Parker

A lifelong friend and trusted aide of Ulysses S. Grant, Ely Parker rose to the top in two worlds, that of his native Seneca Indian tribe and the white man's world at large. He studied law but was refused admission to the bar as he was not considered a citizen. He studied engineering and while working on a government project in Galena, Illinois, he met U.S. Grant. This is a person that has had …

…finally found a steady job as a desk clerk with the New York City Police Department. It was his final career, one with little responsibility and very modest pay, but while in New York Parker joined veterans' organizations and for a time revived his career as a public speaker. When Minnie Parker gave birth to the couple's only child, Maud, in 1878, Ely became a devoted father. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo.