Daniel Parker, Expatriate Extraordinaire

Parker left the United States in the late summer of 1784, under a cloud of suspicion from his partners in the United States, but with a good reputation from George Washington and John Adams. Arranging profitable speculation on U.S. securities with Dutch merchant bankers, he ended up establishing good relations with Sir Francis Baring, while moving between Amsterdam, Paris, and London. In Paris, he joined a partnership with Joel Barlow and made a fortune for both of them by arranging shipping of goods from the West Indies to revolutionary France with American ships. Insight into his operations is found in the Baring Archive, which deals with the fate of a U.S. ship, the Rosanna, whose rich cargo from Surinam was seized by French privateers. It became one of the claims against France under the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. Parker earlier had invested proceeds of his shipments to France in purchasing country estates seized by French nobles and, eventually the Paris mansion of the Comte de Montmorin. Shortly after the conclusion of the Louisiana Purchase, Parker also purchased the fabulous Chateau de Draveil on the outskirts of Paris. He sold it in 1821, probably to pay off claims of John Holker, his earlier partner in supplying Washington’s armies during the Revolution. Nevertheless, he needs to be given credit for promoting the Louisiana Purchase to Sir Francis and the American ministers in Paris.