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.
Famous quotes containing the words john and/or parker:
“Perfect soldier, perfect gentleman ... never gave offence to anyone, not even the enemy.”
—A.J.P. (Alan John Percivale)
“I do wish that as long as they are translating the thing, they would go right on ahead, while they’re at it, and translate Fedor Vasilyevich Protosov and Georgei Dmitrievich Abreskov and Ivan Petrovich Alexandrov into Joe and Harry and Fred.”
—Dorothy Parker (1893–1967)