Richard Chappel Parsons (October 10, 1826 – January 9, 1899) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a
U.S. Representative from
Ohio for one term from 1873 to 1875.
Early life and career
Born in
New London, Connecticut, Parsons pursued classical studies, and moved to
Norwalk, Ohio, in 1845. He studied law, and was
admitted to the bar in 1851 and commenced practice at
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. He was the law partner of
Rufus P. Spalding
Rufus Paine Spalding (May 3, 1798 – August 29, 1886) was a nineteenth-century politician, lawyer and judge from Ohio. From 1863 to 1869, he served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served as a justice of the Ohio Su ...
, a prominent Ohio politician and jurist who would himself serve three terms in the
U.S. House of Representatives.
Parsons was the son-in-law of
Samuel Starkweather, who served non-consecutive terms as
mayor of
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
in the mid-1800s.
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]
Early political career
He served as member of the city council in 1852 and 1853 and served as president in 1853.
He served as member of the State house of representatives 1858-1861 and served one term as speaker.
He was appointed consul to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on March 27, 1862, but resigned, effective October 1, 1862.
He served as collector of internal revenue at