born Sept. 16, 1823, Boston, Mass., U.S.
died Nov. 8, 1893, Jamaica Plain, Mass.
U.S. historian.
Parkman graduated from Harvard University before embarking in 1846 on a journey to the West that resulted in The California and Oregon Trail (1849). He is noted for his seven-part history France and England in North America , covering the colonial period from the beginnings to 1763; its volumes include Pioneers of France in the New World (1865); Montcalm and Wolfe (1884), which demonstrates how biography can penetrate the spirit of an age; and A Half-Century of Conflict (1892), which exemplifies his literary artistry.