Senator Richard Elliott Parker

Richard Elliott Parker (December 27, 1783 – September 10, 1840) was a lawyer, soldier, judge, and Democratic politician in Virginia who served in both the Virginia House of Delegates and the United States Senate, and later on the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals. Over the course of his public life, he held a succession of legal and legislative offices that placed him at the center of state and national affairs during the early nineteenth century.

Parker pursued a legal education and entered the practice of law in Virginia, establishing himself in the profession at a time when the state’s bar was closely intertwined with its political leadership. His legal training and growing reputation at the bar provided the foundation for his subsequent service in elective office and on the bench. As a young attorney, he became part of the generation of Virginia lawyers who combined courtroom practice with legislative and judicial responsibilities.

Parker’s political career began in the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served as a member of the state legislature. In that capacity he participated in shaping state policy during a period when Virginia was grappling with questions of internal improvements, legal reform, and the balance of power between state and federal authority. His legislative service in Richmond helped to establish his standing as a public figure and prepared him for higher office.

A member of the Democratic Party, Parker was elected to the United States Senate from Virginia and served one term in Congress from 1835 to 1837. His tenure in the Senate coincided with a significant period in American history, during the later years of the Jacksonian era, when issues such as banking policy, federal power, and territorial expansion were vigorously contested. As a United States Senator, Richard Elliott Parker participated in the democratic process at the national level and contributed to the legislative work of the Senate while representing the interests of his Virginia constituents.

After completing his service in the United States Senate, Parker returned to judicial responsibilities in Virginia. He was appointed to the Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, where he drew upon his extensive experience as a lawyer, legislator, and former senator. On that tribunal he participated in the interpretation and development of Virginia law, helping to shape the state’s jurisprudence in the years leading up to the mid-nineteenth century.

Richard Elliott Parker died on September 10, 1840. He was buried in Grace Episcopal Churchyard in Berryville, Clarke County, Virginia, where his grave is recorded in the church’s burial records and by local historical associations. His career as a soldier, lawyer, legislator, United States Senator, and appellate judge reflected the intertwined legal and political culture of Virginia in the early republic and Jacksonian periods.