Dan Parker
Dan Parker was a prominent American sportswriter, known for his investigative reporting and commitment to exposing corruption in sports. Born in 1893 in Waterbury, Connecticut, he began his journalism career at local newspapers before moving to the New York Daily Mirror, where he worked for 39 years until its closure in 1963. Parker was recognized for his integrity, often addressing issues such as fixed horse races and misappropriated sports event funds in his columns, which earned him the nickname "the cop on the national sports beat." Beyond sports, he also wrote humor columns and covered local politics and court trials early in his career.
Parker served in World War I, initially facing challenges due to his size but ultimately fulfilling his military duty in France. After the war, he returned to journalism, eventually elevating his career through connections made with colleagues like Bill Slocum. He briefly contributed to the New York Journal American after the Mirror's closure before retiring in the late 1960s. Dan Parker left a lasting legacy in sports journalism, with a street named in his honor in Waterbury and a publication, "The ABC of Horse Racing," to his credit. He passed away in 1967, remembered for his principled approach to reporting.
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Dan Parker
Writer
- Born: July 1, 1893
- Birthplace: Waterbury, Connecticut
- Died: May 20, 1967
- Place of death: Waterbury, Connecticut
Biography
One of Dan Parker’s colleagues, sportswriter W. C. Heinz, once described Parker as “the cop on the national sports beat.” Parker reported on sporting events throughout the United States and was not afraid to expose dishonesty or impropriety in the games he covered. If he learned that a horse race was fixed, a boxing match thrown, or the profits from charitable sporting events misappropriated, he would write about these violations in his articles and column.
Daniel Francis Parker was born in 1893 in Waterbury, Connecticut, where he lived his entire life; a street in the town, Dan Parker Drive, is named in his honor. He was the son of Robert T. and Katherine Scanlon Parker. After graduating from high school, Parker began his journalistic career in Waterbury, initially as a reporter for the Waterbury Republican and then as a reporter and sports editor for the Waterbury American. He often covered court trials and local politics.
Parker volunteered to serve in World War I in 1917, but his towering six-foot-four frame and a weight barely above 150 pounds made him initially ineligible for military service. However, he eventually was drafted and served in the army in France. When the war ended, Parker returned to the American and continued to cover the courts and politics. Soon afterwards, the sports editor retired and Parker assumed the position. Besides covering sports, Parker edited a humor column that appeared regularly on the editorial page.
In 1923, Bill Slocum, with whom Parker worked on the American, took a job in New York City. Parker asked Slocum to let him know of any newspaper jobs in New York for which he would be a suitable candidate. The following year, the New York Daily Mirror began operation and Slocum recommended Parker to the editors, who hired him. Parker remained with the Mirror until it ceased publishing in 1963, a thirty-nine- year tenure. The Mirror was owned by William Randolph Hearst and Parker’s columns appeared in Hearst-owned newspapers throughout the country, making him a well-known national sportswriter.
After the Mirror ceased operation, Parker joined the New York Journal American, but he worked there for only one year before retiring to his homes in Waterbury and New Milford, Connecticut. He died in 1967.
Thomas Dewey, who was governor of New York from 1942 through 1954 and lost his 1948 presidential bid to Harry S. Truman, was one of Parker’s Connecticut neighbors. In 1942, Dewey asked Parker to chair the state’s boxing commission. Parker refused this opportunity, reminding Dewey that he often wrote critically about the commission’s activities and it would be a conflict of interest for him to be a member of the agency.
Parker published thousands of columns but only one book, The ABC of Horse Racing, brought out by Random House in 1947.