Richard Elliott Parker (December 27, 1783 – September 10, 1840) was a lawyer, soldier, judge and politician in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Parker served in the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

and the

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, before later serving on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.

Early and family life

Parker was born at ‘Rock Spring,’

Westmoreland County, Virginia Westmoreland County is a County (United States), county located in the Northern Neck of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population sits at 18,477. Its county seat is Montross, Virginia, Montross ...

, son of Captain William Harwar Parker and Mary (Sturman) Parker, and grandson of Judge Richard Parker and Elizabeth (Beale) Parker. He studied law under his grandfather Parker at ‘Lawfield,’ his grandfather's residence in Westmoreland County.

Career

After being admitted to the bar, he practiced in Westmoreland, his native county, which he twice represented in the

, although when he was re-elected the vote contested, and the narrow loser would succeed to the seat in the next election.Cynthia Miller Leonard, The General Assembly of Virginia: 1619-1978 (Richmond: Virginia State Library 1978) pp. 249, 254 During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, Parker served as Lieutenant colonel in the Thirty-fifth Virginia Regiment Militia. As such, he was in charge of the defense of the

Northern Neck The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas (traditionally called "necks" in Virginia) on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia (along with the Middle Peninsula and the Virginia Peninsula). The P ...

of Virginia from British incursions. On September 16, 1814, Parker was wounded during the British attack that resulted in the

burning of Washington The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British Amphibious warfare, amphibious attack conducted by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, Georg ...

. After the war, Parker returned to private legal practice. The legislature elected him a judge of the general court on July 26, 1817. On December 12, 1836, Virginia legislators elected Judge Parker as the United States Senator from Virginia. A Jacksonian, he filled the vacancy caused by the resignation of Benjamin W. Leigh. Parker would resigned from the Senate on March 13, 1837, to accept a seat on the

Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals The Supreme Court of Virginia is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It primarily hears direct appeals in civil cases from the trial-level city and county circuit courts, as well as the criminal law, family law and administrative ...

(again elected by his former state legislative colleagues). He refused the cabinet office of

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offered him by President Van Buren.

Death and legacy

Parker died on his estate, ‘Soldier’s Retreat,’ near Snickersville (now Bluemont, Clarke County), Virginia, September 10, 1840. He was buried alongside his wife, Elizabeth Foushee Parker at Grace Episcopal Church in Berryville, Virginia in the county of Clarke.

References

* Clarke County Historical Association, Berryville, Va. * Grace Episcopal Church Burial Records * Find a Grave for Judge Richard E. Parker, Grace Episcopal Church, Berryville, Va.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Richard E. 1783 births 1840 deaths Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Democratic Party United States senators from Virginia Virginia state court judges Justices of the Supreme Court of Virginia People from Westmoreland County, Virginia Democratic-Republican Party United States senators Virginia Democratic-Republicans Virginia Jacksonians 19th-century Virginia state court judges 19th-century members of the Virginia General Assembly 19th-century United States senators