Josiah Parker was born on May 11, 1751 in Macclesfield, Isle of Wight County, Virginia, United States. He was the son of Nicholas and Ann (Copeland) Parker and descended from Thomas Parker, who obtained land grants in Virginia as early as 1647. This ancestor was a member of a landed family of Cheshire, and the family seat in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Josiah's birthplace bore the name "Macclesfield. "
Josiah Parker served in Virginia under Lee, and later was attached to the northern army under Washington. He attained the rank of major in 1776 and that of colonel the following year, and at the battle of Trenton he was lieutenant-colonel of the 5th Virginia Regiment. In that battle, as well as at Princeton and Brandywine, he received the commendation of the Commander-in-chief. His figure is included in the group of soldiers in Trumbull's painting, "Capture of the Hessians, " and it has been stated that he received the sword of Col. Johann Gottlieb Rall at Trenton.
In consequence of a controversy, he resigned from the army in 1778. Near the close of the war, when his native state became the scene of operations, he was appointed by Governor Jefferson to command the Virginia militia south of the James River, and cooperated with Lafayette. He received large grants of land after the war, was a member of the House of Delegates, and from 1786 to 1788 was naval officer for the port of Norfolk. He presented himself as a candidate for delegate to the Virginia ratifying convention of 1788, but was defeated. He was a member of the First Congress, and with his colleagues he gave his vote for a future capital on the Potomac River. His career in Congress extended from 1789 to 1801, and he was at one time chairman of the naval committee. His death occurred on the family estate in Isle of Wight County on March 14, 1810.
Josiah Parker was a member of Federalist party. He was a strong supporter of Patrick Henry.
Josiah Parker was a member of the Virginia Society of the Cincinnati.
Josiah Parker had a hasty and impulsive temper.
In 1773 Josiah Parker married Mary (Pierce) Bridger, widow of Colonel Joseph Bridger. They had one daughter.
