Jessie M. Parker

Jessie M. Parker (February 25, 1879 – May 1, 1959) was an American politician, educator, and education administrator. She was the Iowa superintendent of public instruction for fifteen years.

Early life Parker was born on February 25, 1879, in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Her parents were Martha J. (née Knapp) and Frederick H. Parker. Her family moved to Lake Mills, Iowa public elementary and secondary schools, graduating in 1896.

She graduated from Iowa State Normal School. She successfully ran for the Winnebago County Superintendent of Schools, serving from 1915 to 1927. She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1986. Iowa's Vocational Rehabilitation Building in Des Moines was renamed the Jessie Parker State Office Building in 1998.

Personal life Parker was a member of the Business and Professional Women's League of Des Moines, the Iowa Federation of Women's Clubs, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the 20th Century Club of Forest City. She was a trustee of the Iowa State Library board. She was a member of Asbury Methodist Church.

After she retired, she moved to Lake Mills, Iowa, where she lived with her sister. There, she served a term on Lake Mills Community School Board.

Parker died of cancer at her family homestead in Lake Mills on May 1, 1959. She was buried in the Sunnyside Cemetery in Lake Mills.