Parker, Quanah [key], c.1852–1911, Native American chief, b. Texas; son of a Comanche chief, Peta Nocone, and Cynthia Ann Parker, a survivor of a massacre. In 1867 he became chief of the Comanche and until 1875 led raids on frontier settlements. After his defeat and surrender he adjusted to the white civilization and promoted housing, agriculture, and education for Native Americans. A successful businessman in Oklahoma and Texas, he was believed at one time to be the wealthiest Native American in the United States.
See biographies by C. L. Jackson (1963) and S. C. Gwynne (2010).
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