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Parker, John Johnston

Born November 20, 1885, in Monroe, NC
Died March 17, 1958, in Washington, DC

Federal Judicial Service:
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Received a recess appointment from Calvin Coolidge on October 3, 1925, to a seat vacated by Charles Albert Woods; nominated to the same position by Calvin Coolidge on December 8, 1925. Confirmed by the Senate on December 14, 1925, and received commission on December 14, 1925. Served as chief judge, 1948-1958. Service terminated on March 17, 1958, due to death.

Education:
University of North Carolina, B.A., 1907
University of North Carolina School of Law, LL.B., 1908

Professional Career:

Private practice, Greensboro, North Carolina, 1908-1909
Private practice, Monroe, North Carolina, 1909-1922
Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina, 1910
Candidate for attorney general, State of North Carolina, 1916
Republican candidate for governor, North Carolina, 1920
Private practice, Charlotte, North Carolina, 1922-1925
Special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States, 1923-1924
Member, Conference of Senior Circuit Judges, 1931-1948, and Judicial Conference of the United States, 1948-1957

Other Nominations/Recess Appointments:

Nominated to Supreme Court of the United States, March 21, 1930; rejected by Senate, May 7, 1930

Bibliography

Burris, William C. Duty and the Law: Judge John J. Parker and the Constitution. Bessemer, Ala.: Colonial Press, 1987.

Fish, Peter Graham. "A 'Freshman' Takes Charge: Judge John J. Parker of the United States Court of Appeals, 1925-1930." The Journal of Southern Legal History 10 (2002): 59-113.

Fish, Peter Graham. "Red Jacket Revisited: The Case that Unraveled John J. Parker's Supreme Court Appointment." Law and History Review 5 (Spring 1987): 51-104.

Goings, Kenneth W. The NAACP Comes of Age: The Defeat of Judge John J. Parker. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1990.

"Guarding the Judicial Ramparts: John J. Parker and the Administration of Federal Justice," Justice System Journal: A Management Review 3 (Winter 1977): 105-25.

Hall, Kermit L., and James W. Ely, Jr., eds. "Torchbearer for Pre-New Deal Southern Economic Development: Judge John J. Parker of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit," in An Uncertain Tradition: Constitutionalism and the History of the South. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1989.

Hine, Darlene Clark. "The NAACP and the Supreme Court: Walter F. White and the Defeat of Judge John J. Parker, 1930." Negro History Bulletin 40 (1977): 753-7.

"Remembering the Fourth Circuit Judges: A History from 1941 to 1998." Washington and Lee Law Review 55 (Spring 1998): 471, 503-6.

Vile, John R., ed. "John J. Parker: 1885-1958," in Vol. 2 Great American Judges: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2003.

Watson, Richard L., Jr. "The Defeat of Judge Parker: A Study in Pressure Groups and Politics." Mississippi Valley Historical Review 50 (1963): 213-34.

Manuscript Collections

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Southern Historical Collection
Chapel Hill, N.C.
John J. Parker papers, 1920-1959.
38 linear ft.; finding aid; collection contains correspondence, legal memoranda, and other papers relating to personal, legal, political, and educational matters.

University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C.
John Johnston Parker papers, 1928-1957.
1 linear ft. (ca. 1,800 items); finding aid. Contains speeches and articles. No material related to Parker's rejection as a nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States in 1930.

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Parker, John Johnston