Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Jacker, Edward

JACKER, Edward, missionary, b. in Swabia, Germany, about 1830; d. in Red Jacket, Lake Superior, in August, 1887. He received a thorough education, studied theology, was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic church, and came to the United States as a missionary to the Indians, among whom he passed his life. He served as vicar-general to Frederic Baraga, bishop of Marquette, and was the bishop's inseparable companion in his journeys and labors for several years before the latter's death in 1867. He was mentioned at the time in connection with the vacant bishopric, but his tastes led him to avoid official power and responsibility. He was thoroughly conversant with the Indian languages, especially with the dialect spoken by the Chippewas, and wrote in the latter and published a selection of hymns and other works. Father Jacker was a man of great erudition, an enthusiastic worker, and a delightful companion, being one of the best known and most highly esteemed missionaries in the Lake Superior region. He contributed various interesting articles on the Indian tribes to the Philadelphia “Catholic Quarterly Review.”