Richard Chappel Parsons (October 10, 1826 – January 9, 1899) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

for one term from 1873 to 1875.

Early life and career

Born in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

, Parsons pursued classical studies, and moved to

Norwalk, Ohio Norwalk is a city in Huron County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 17,068 at the 2020 census. The city is the center of the Norwalk micropolitan area and part of the Cleveland–Akron–Canton combined statistical ...

, in 1845. He studied law, and was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1851 and commenced practice at

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–United States border, Canada–U.S. maritime border ...

. He was the law partner of Rufus P. Spalding, a prominent Ohio politician and jurist who would himself serve three terms in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

. Parsons was the son-in-law of

Samuel Starkweather Samuel Starkweather (December 27, 1799 – July 5, 1876) was the seventh mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1844 to 1845 and the fifteenth mayor of Cleveland from 1857 to 1858. Starkweather was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Oliver and Miriam (C ...

, who served non-consecutive terms as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

in the mid-1800s.

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 Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, on March 27, 1862, but resigned, effective October 1, 1862. He served as collector of internal revenue at Cleveland 1862–1866. President

Andrew Johnson Andrew Johnson (December 29, 1808July 31, 1875) was the 17th president of the United States, serving from 1865 to 1869. The 16th vice president, he assumed the presidency following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Johnson was a South ...

offered Parsons the offices of Governor of

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

and

Assistant Secretary of the Treasury United States Assistant Secretary of the Treasury is one of several positions in the United States Department of the Treasury, serving under the United States Secretary of the Treasury. History According to the U.S. statute, there are eight Assis ...

. He declined both, instead serving as the first Marshal of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1867 to 1872.

Congress

Parsons was elected as a Republican to the Forty-third Congress (March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875). He was an unsuccessful Republican candidate for reelection to the Forty-fourth Congress.

Later career

He resumed the practice of law in

. He was editor and part owner with William Perry Fogg of the Cleveland ''Daily Herald'' in 1877.

Death

He died in

, January 9, 1899. He was interred in

Lake View Cemetery Lake View Cemetery is a Private property, privately owned, Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Rural cemetery, garden cemetery located in the cities of Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Cleveland Heights, and East Cleveland, Ohio, East Cleveland ...

References

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, Richard Chappel 1826 births 1899 deaths Politicians from New London, Connecticut People from New London, Ohio Lawyers from Cleveland Burials at Lake View Cemetery, Cleveland Speakers of the Ohio House of Representatives 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Cleveland City Council members 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American male writers Journalists from Ohio Republican Party members of the Ohio House of Representatives Marshals of the United States Supreme Court 19th-century American lawyers Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the Ohio General Assembly