Thomas Nelson Parker (September 28, 1898 – May 12, 1973) was an American politician from Virginia. He served as mayor of Richmond from 1950 to 1952, chaired the

Democratic Party of Virginia The Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA/VA Dems) is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond, Virginia. Historically, the Democratic Party has dominated Virginia politics. Since the 1851 Virginia gubernatorial election, th ...

during the 1952 United States presidential election, and was Virginia Commissioner of Insurance from 1956 to 1969.

Early life

Thomas Nelson Page was born in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. He graduated from John Marshall High School. He graduated with a bachelor's degree from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

and a law degree from the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819 as part of his "academical village", and now ...

. He was admitted to the bar in 1923.

Career

After graduating, Parker practiced law privately until 1943. He then became the chief attorney for the Office of Price Administration in Richmond, where he later headed the office's legal department across eight Southern states. Governor Colgate W. Darden appointed him as special attorney to investigate the illegal slot machine business in Virginia. Parker was mayor of Richmond from 1950 to 1952. He was the state chair of

Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death in 1965. He previously served as the 31st governor of Ill ...

's 1952 presidential campaign. He was Virginia's Commissioner of Insurance from 1956 to his retirement in 1971. Parker was president of the

Christian Children's Fund ChildFund, also known an ChildFund International, and formerly known as Christian Children's Fund, is a child-focused international development organization that provides assistance to children facing poverty and other challenges in 24 countries ...

in Richmond during the early 1940s. He also served as president of the

National Association of Insurance Commissioners The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) is the U.S. standard-setting and regulatory support organization created and governed by the chief insurance regulators from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. terri ...

Personal life

Parker married Helen Reid. They had two sons and a daughter, Thomas Nelson Jr., Edward R. and Mrs. James Paul. He lived on Canterbury Road in Richmond. Parker died on May 12, 1973, at a hospital in Richmond. He was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

References

External links

* 1898 births 1973 deaths Mayors of Richmond, Virginia University of Virginia School of Law alumni Virginia Democrats Burials at Hollywood Cemetery (Richmond, Virginia) 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century Virginia politicians {{Virginia-politician-stub