Edwin P. Parker Jr.

Edwin Pearson Parker Jr. (July 27, 1891 – June 7, 1983) was a Major general in the United States Army. Parker commanded the 78th Infantry Division during the Ardennes-Alsace, Rhineland, and Central Europe, campaigns of World War II. Under his command, the division, nicknamed "Lightning," helped secure the Ludendorff Bridge during the Battle of Remagen.

Born in Wytheville, Virginia, he studied at George Washington University. In 1912, he was commissioned in the Field Artillery Branch. During World War I, he was stationed at the Panama Canal Zone. Then, during the interbellum period, he served as an Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics, first at Ohio State University, and then at Harvard University. After World War II, he served as the United States Army Provost Marshal General until his retirement in 1953. He lived in Washington, D.C. when he died on June 7, 1983 in his home.

Parker was awarded, most notably, the Army Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster, Croix de Guerre (France), and the Croix de Guerre (Belgium).