Henry G. Parker III
Henry Griffith Parker III, a summer visitor to Amagansett for than 50 years, died on July 9 at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey. He was 89 and had lived in Madison, N.J. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, his family said.
Mr. Parker was an executive whose accomplishments at Chubb and Son included identifying the need for insurance for companies making foreign investments and guiding the creation of new programs to meet that need.
Born on Oct. 27, 1926, in Plainfield, N.J., his parents were Henry G. Parker II and the former Ruth Van Auken. He attended St. Andrew’s School in Delaware and the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, graduating in 1944, and served in the Navy in the last years of World War II.
After his military service ended, Mr. Parker entered Princeton, where he was a founding member of the Princeton Tigertones, an a capella singing group. He graduated in 1948.
He spent 48 years with Chubb and Son, during which he held a number of positions, among them senior vice president and managing director. Early on, Mr. Parker saw an opportunity for a multinational insurance program to support globalization. He is credited with establishing the company’s offices in China, India, Japan, Cuba, and throughout Europe and South America, cementing Chubb’s global presence today.
Mr. Parker served on many boards, including the National Foreign Trade Council, the Firemark Global Insurance Fund, and the Alliance Insurance Company. He was chairman of the Business Advisory Committee for the United Nations Business Council and advisory board liaison for the People’s Insurance Company of China. He also appeared on numerous television and radio programs and contributed articles to professional journals.
He was a trustee of Drew University in Madison and was chairman of the board at Overlook Hospital in Summit, N.J., from 1973 to 1980.
He received the International Insurance Award from the United States Chamber of Commerce in 1981 and a distinguished service award from the International Insurance Council in 1988.
He was a member of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, American Insurance Association, Devon Yacht Club in Amagansett, Morris County Golf Club, Princeton Club of New York, and Psi Upsilon.
Mr. Parker is survived by his wife of 59 years, the former Audrey Turner; a son, H. Griffith Parker IV of Wayne, Pa., a daughter, Elizabeth Parker Browne of Bethesda, Md., three grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and a step-great-grandchild. His son said he loved being on the water and taking part in sailing races organized by Devon. “He was his most relaxed out there,” he said.
Funeral services took place last Thursday at Grace Episcopal Church in Madison. Burial followed at Mt. Hebron Cemetery in Upper Montclair, N.J.