John Parker (UK politician)

For other people named John Parker, see John Parker (disambiguation).

Herbert John Harvey Parker (15 July 1906 – 24 November 1987), normally known as John Parker, was a long-serving British Labour politician.

He was educated at Marlborough College and St John's College, Oxford, where he was Chair of Oxford University Labour Club. In 1931 he contested the seat of Holland-with-Boston. In 1935 he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Romford in Essex, which he represented until 1945; and he subsequently sat for Dagenham (1945–1983). He was the last serving MP to have been elected before the Second World War, and with 48 years in Parliament, remains the longest-serving Labour MP ever.

He was General Secretary of the Fabian Society during World War II, and subsequently its Vice-Chairman and Chairman, and was a junior minister in the Dominions Office 1945-6. In the 48th Parliament of the United Kingdom (1979–1983) he was the Father of the House of Commons.

References

• Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Parker
• Catalogue of the Parker papers held at LSE Archives

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by William Hutchison	Member of Parliament for Romford 1935–1945	Succeeded by Thomas Macpherson
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Dagenham 1945–1983	Succeeded by Bryan Gould
Political offices
Preceded by George Strauss	Father of the House 1979–1983	Succeeded by James Callaghan