Stanford Parris
| Stanford Parris | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Parris speaking on the House floor in 1990 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th district | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert E. Harris |
| Succeeded by | James P. Moran |
| In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Preceded by | William L. Scott |
| Succeeded by | Herbert E. Harris |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 20th district | |
| In office April 11, 1969 – November 21, 1972 | |
| Preceded by | Guy Farley |
| Succeeded by | Lucas Phillips |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stanford Elmer Parris September 9, 1929 Champaign, Illinois |
| Died | March 27, 2010 (aged 80) Mathews County, Virginia |
| Political party | Republican |
| Residence | Alexandria, Virginia |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign George Washington University |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Air Force |
| Battles/wars | Korean War |
| Awards | Purple Heart Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal |
Early life
Parris was born in Champaign, Illinois and educated in the public schools there. He earned a B.S. at University of Illinois (1950), and an LL.B. at the George Washington University (1958) while working as a doorkeeper at the United States Senate. He was a U.S. Air Force F-84 Thunderjet jet fighter aircraft pilot in the Korean War, and was shot down once and rescued.[2] His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with cluster, Air Medal with clusters, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation (Korea), and Presidential Unit Citation (United States).[3] Following his discharge from the military, Parris worked briefly as an airline pilot, before starting law school. He was admitted to the bar in 1958, and set up a private law practice in Alexandria, Virginia. Parris was president of a Chrysler dealership in Woodbridge, Virginia and the Flying Circus Aerodrome, an air show.
Politics
Parris was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and served one term (1964–1967). In 1969, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and served from April 11, 1969 to November 21, 1972. He was elected in 1972 to the United States House of Representatives, but lost his 1974 reelection bid to Democrat Herb Harris in the post-Watergate scandal. However, in the 1980 House elections, he defeated Harris by 1,090 votes. He sought his party's nomination for the 1985 election of Governor of Virginia, but withdrew in May.[4] In 1989, Parris again ran for Governor of Virginia. He lost in the Republican primary to former Attorney General Marshall Coleman and former United States Senator Paul S. Trible.[5] He also served a term as Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth in the late 1970s.[6]
In the 93rd Congress Parris was a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, its subcommittees on Aeronautics and Space Technology, Science, Research, and Development and Energy.[7] Economic woes and a federal budget stalemate contributed to his 1990 election loss to then Alexandria mayor James P. Moran, Jr.[8] Parris was also known for introducing a bill during his first term which prohibited the National Football League from imposing television blackouts of sold-out games. His position as the ranking Republican member of the House District Committee often put him at odds with the city government of the District of Columbia, and resulted in frequent quarreling with the mayor, Marion Barry.
Parris thought about running for the United States Senate in 1982 after Harry F. Byrd, Jr. retired, but opted to run for reelection to the House after Harris sought to regain his old seat. He defeated Harris by 1,600 votes, spending $700,000 in Virginia's most expensive congressional campaign up to that point.[9] He defeated State Senator Dick Saslaw with somewhat less difficulty in 1984, and easily defeated underfunded Democrats in 1986 and 1988. However, in 1990, he lost to Alexandria mayor Jim Moran by seven points in what is still considered an upset.
President George H. W. Bush appointed him to a seven-year term as President of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation in 1991, weeks after he left Congress. He resigned four years later to run for a seat in the Virginia Senate.[10] His primary residence after leaving Congress was in Melbourne, Florida; but he also owned property in Matthews County, Virginia.[5]
Death
Stanford Parris died from heart disease on March 27, 2010 at his home in Mathews County in eastern Virginia. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.[5]
Upon the death of Parris, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said in a statement that Parris "played major leadership roles" in endeavors as varied as the establishment of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria to flood control and closing the District of Columbia’s former Lorton Reformatory in Fairfax County, and that "He used his time on this Earth to help others, and to effectively advance the ideas and principles in which he believed."[11]
Electoral history
| Year | Subject | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | Opponent | Party | Votes | % | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 60,446 | 44.4 | Robert F. Horan | Democratic | 51,444 | 37.7 | William Durland | Independent | 18,654 | 13.7 | ||||||||
| 1974 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 38,997 | 42.3 | Herbert E. Harris | Democratic | 53,074 | 57.6 | ||||||||||||
| 1980 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 95,624 | 48.8 | Herbert E. Harris | Democratic | 94,530 | 48.2 | Deborah Frantz | Independent | 5,729 | 3.0 | ||||||||
| 1982 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 69,620 | 49.7 | Herbert E. Harris | Democratic | 68,071 | 48.5 | Austin W. Morrill | Independent | 2,373 | 1.6 | ||||||||
| 1984 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 125,015 | 55.7 | Richard L. Saslaw | Democratic | 97,250 | 43.3 | Donald Carpenter | Independent | 1,814 | 0.8 | ||||||||
| 1986 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 72,670 | 61.7 | James H. Boren | Democratic | 44,965 | 38.2 | ||||||||||||
| 1988 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 154,761 | 62.3 | David G. Brickley | Democratic | 93,561 | 37.6 | ||||||||||||
| 1990 | Stanford Parris | Republican | 76,367 | 44.6 | James Moran | Democratic | 88,745 | 51.7 | Robert T. Murphy | Independent | 5,958 | 3.5 | ||||||||
References
- ↑ "Former 6-term Va. congressman Stan Parris dies". March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ↑ Jenkins, Kent Jr. (October 25, 1988). "`Two-Gun Stan' Parris Enjoys Being Seen-And Heard" (Fee). The Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ↑ "Longtime lawmaker was also combat pilot". The Virginian Pilot via The Associated Press. March 28, 2010. pp. HR–7.
- ↑ Atkinson, Frank B. (July 2006). Virginia in the Vanguard: Political Leadership in the 400-Year-Old Cradle of American Democracy, 1981–2006 (Cloth ed.). Rowman & Littlefield and University of Virginia Center for Politics. pp. 57–59, 48. ISBN 978-0-7425-5210-4. Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Schapiro, Jeff (March 27, 2010). "Former six-term Rep. Stanford E. Parris dies at 80". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
- ↑ "PARRIS, Stanford E.". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ↑ "A History of the Committee on Science and Technology" (PDF). House Committee on Science and Technology. September 25, 2009. p. 117. Retrieved 2009-08-16.
- ↑ Sabato, Larry. Virginia Votes 1987–1990. pp. 102–103. "also cited in Atkinson, p. 113 fh. 81"
- ↑ Schudel, Matt (March 29, 2010). "Stanford E. Parris, 80, dies; N.Va. member of Congress". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
- ↑ Helberg, Davis (November 3, 1998). "Principles and Politics". The Journal of Commerce (Seaway Port Authority). Retrieved 2009-08-15.
- ↑ "McDonnell praises Parris’ accomplishments". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. March 27, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
External links
- Stanford Parris at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Lobbyist Profile
- Obituary from the Washington Post
| Virginia House of Delegates | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas J. Rothrock |
Virginia House of Delegates, 19th District – Counties of Fairfax (part) and Prince William (part); City of Fairfax 1972 |
Succeeded by William H. Moss, Sr. |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by William L. Scott |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th congressional district 1973–1975 |
Succeeded by Herbert Harris |
| Preceded by Herbert Harris |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 8th congressional district 1981–1991 |
Succeeded by Jim Moran |
|