This has to be the shortest baby name-related news article I’ve ever seen:
Shelbyville, Ind., July 10. – Four hours after the nomination of Judge Parker, Mrs. August Herms gave birth to a promising boy and named him Parker.
Yup, that’s the whole thing. (Much shorter than this 3-sentence one.)
It’s a 1904 article from the New York Times. “Judge Parker” refers to Alton Parker, Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, who had just become a presidential nominee at the 1904 Democratic National Convention (July 6-9) in St. Louis.
Other babies were also named for Parker after the nomination was announced. In fact, a Baltimore newspaper stated that “the first baby born in this precinct and named after Judge Parker will receive a present from the [Third Precinct Democratic Organization].”
Unfortunately for all these baby Parkers, though, the Judge was soundly defeated by Republican incumbent Theodore Roosevelt come November.
Sources:
- “Democrats Raise Flag.” Sun [Baltimore] 22 Jul. 1904: 12.
- “First Baby Named After Parker.” New York Times 11 Jul. 1904: 5.
