Parker Hardin French (1826 –1878) was a nineteenth-century adventurer, entrepreneur, and swindler. He was labeled and chronicled by author Joe Goodbody in the book "KENTUCKY BARRACUDA." In the era of steam, sail and horse, the rapidity of French's movement and breadth of his adventures is almost mind-numbing. As a runaway teen he fought in the Royal Navy in the First Opium War as a cabin boy and a "powder monkey". When he was just 22 years old, he was a commission merchant and, a year later, built the first ocean going ship on the upper Mississippi. Before he was 30, he was the leader of an infamous and fraudulent gold rush expedition; implicated in an irregular invasion of Cuba; jailed bandit and then military hero in Mexico; lawyer, district attorney, legislator, journalist, and political enforcer in California; senior conspirator in William Walker's conquest of Nicaragua; and appointed but rejected Nicaraguan ambassador to the United States. He didn’t slow down in his thirties: he was a real estate developer; lawyer; journalist; part of a conspiracy to invade Mexico; suspected seditionist agitator and Confederate agent; jailed as a political prisoner; and lawyer and purveyor for Union troops. His final days were spent in obscurity but the period was still peppered with the occasional swindle that garnered both regional and national attention. When Colonel Parker Hardin French died in 1878, his death went generally unnoticed. Newspapers had reported the death of French before—at least five separate times. He had been twice killed in gunfights, twice executed in Mexico—once by a firing squad, once by hanging—and once killed in Nicaragua. Acquaintances thought he might have drunk himself to death. For a while, there was a lapse of interesting press reports, so many just presumed that he was already dead and were surprised when he was not. Some pondered his many misadventures and wondered how he escaped retribution from a hangman, a firing squad, or an irate victim. Though a notorious scoundrel in his time, notably from 1850 to 1862, French has been relegated to a minor footnote in antebellum America and Civil War history. The crafty Machiavellian contributed more to mid-nineteenth century history than has been previously documented.
Contributor: Joe Goodbody (50404077)
FRENCH, PARKER HARDIN (COLONEL)/Source: Alton Telegraph, June 27, 1878
The remains of Colonel Parker H. French arrived yesterday morning, attended by his wife and infant son, for burial in our cemetery. The Colonel died in New York City, where he was residing, after a very brief illness.

Colonel French was a native of Kentucky, and in the 53rd year of his age. He leaves a wife and infant son, and four children by a former marriage: Mr. H. M. French of St. Louis, Mrs. James Mayhew, Miss Nannie and Ellie French of Huntsville, Alabama. His funeral took place at 4 p.m. yesterday from the residence of his brother-in-law, Dr. W. C. Quigley of Alton. It was attended by a large circle of relatives, and by many friends of the family. The pallbearers were Hon. H. S. Baker, Colonel J. Q. Burbridge, D. S. Hoaglan, Charles A. Murray, E. P. Wade, and W. T. Norton. The service was conducted by Rev. Dr. Armstrong, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, assisted by Rev. T. G. Field of the Baptist Church. Just as the sun was setting the remains were lowed to their last earthly resting place, in a beautiful spot in our cemetery.
Contributor: Bev Bauser (46973644) •