British novelist of popular adventure and historical romances whose most widely known work was The Seats of the Mighty (1896), a novel of the 17th-century conquest of Quebec.

From 1885 to 1889 Parker traveled widely in Australia and the South Seas, after which he settled in London and began writing his spirited stories and novels, in which he skillfully combined energetic action, vivid characterizations, and rich local colour with accuracy of historical detail. In politics Parker became a prominent imperialist and was a member of Parliament from 1900 to 1918. He was knighted in 1902, was made a baronet in 1915, and became a privy councillor in 1916. (His marriage resulted in no issue, and the baronetcy became extinct upon his death.)