John Horace Parry CMG, MBE (born in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, on 26 April 1914 - died in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 1982) was a distinguished maritime historian, who served as Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University.
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John Parry was the son of a teacher, Walter Austin Parry and his wife Ethel Piddock. He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge, where he also completed his Ph.D. in history in 1938. On 18 March 1938, he married Joyce Carter. Together they had three daughters and a son. His academic career was interrupted by World War II, during which he served as an officer in the Royal Navy in 1940-1945, rising to become a lieutenant-commander. He was torpedoed three times. For his war service, he was made a Member of the British Empire in 1942.
Upon demobilization, Parry returned to Clare College, Cambridge, where he was tutor in history 1945-1949. He served additionally as senior proctor, 1947–48 and university lecturer in history, 1946-1949. In 1949, he was appointed professor of modern history at the newly established University College of the West Indies, Kingston, Jamaica, an appointment he held until 1956.
In 1954-55, he was visiting professor at Harvard University, then returned briefly to Jamaica before being appointed principal of University College, Ibadan, Nigeria in 1956. Parry remained in that post until 1960, when he was selected as principal of the University College of Swansea. In 1963 he became vice-chancellor of the University of Wales, Cardiff, where he remained until he was selected as Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. He died of a heart attack at his home on Wednesday 25 August 1982.
While at Harvard he taught a sequence of courses devoted to sailing, European expansion, and the establishment of overseas empires.