Henry Green Parks Jr.

Henry G. Parks Jr. (September 29, 1916 – April 24, 1989) was an American businessman and politician based in Baltimore. He was the founder of Parks Sausages Company, one of the first publicly traded Black-owned businesses and the first ever to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Parks held various elected and appointed public offices, including serving six years on the Baltimore City Council.

Life and career Parks was born on September 29, 1916, in Atlanta, Georgia. As a child his family moved to Dayton, Ohio. He received a bachelor's degree in business from Ohio State University in 1939.

After graduation, Parks worked, as a sales representative for the Pabst Brewing Company. He left Pabst in 1942 to become a partner in W. B. Graham and Associates, a New York City public relations agency. In 1977, Parks sold his interest in the Parks Sausage Company, but he remained as a consultant and director of the company until his death. He served on the boards of Magnavox, W. R. Grace, the First Pennsylvania Bank, and other companies,

Parks died of complications from Parkinson's disease on April 24, 1989, at the Meridian Multi-Medical Nursing Center in Towson, Maryland.