John J. Parker

John Parker
Parker (left) with two French judges
Chief Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
In office September 1, 1948 – March 17, 1958
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Simon Sobeloff
Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
In office December 14, 1925 – March 17, 1958
Appointed by	Calvin Coolidge
Preceded by	Charles Woods
Succeeded by	Herbert Boreman
Personal details
Born	(1885-11-20)November 20, 1885 Monroe, North Carolina, U.S.
Died	March 17, 1958(1958-03-17) (aged 72) Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Education	University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (BA, LLB)

John Johnston Parker (November 20, 1885 – March 17, 1958) was a U.S. judge who failed confirmation to the Supreme Court by one vote. He was also the U.S. alternate judge at the Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals and later served on the United Nations' International Law Commission.

John J. Parker was born in Monroe, North Carolina, the son of John Daniel and Frances Johnston Parker. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1907 and a law degree in 1908. While at the university, Parker was president of his class in his freshman and senior years, of the student council, of the athletic association, and of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He was also a member of the Dialectic Society and an intercollegiate debater. In addition, he won a number of prizes and medals.

After leaving the university, Parker practiced law in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1908–1909, and then, from 1910 until 1922, he practiced law in his hometown of Monroe. Parker married Maria Burgwin Maffitt of Wilmington, North Carolina in 1910. He was nominated by the Republican Party for the United States Congress in 1910 and for North Carolina Attorney General in 1916 and ran unsuccessfully against Cameron A. Morrison for Governor in 1920. In 1922, Parker moved to Charlotte and became head of the law firm of Parker, Stewart, McRae, and Bobbitt. In 1924, he was elected Republican National Committeeman from North Carolina and delegate to the Republican National Convention which nominated Calvin Coolidge. After serving as special assistant to the Attorney General of the United States in 1923, Parker was appointed, in 1925, as one of the judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in Richmond. He became Chief Judge in 1931 and served in that capacity until his death in 1958, at which time he was senior appellate judge of the United States.