John Parker | |
---|---|
Father of the House of Commons | |
In office 3 May 1979 – 9 June 1983 | |
Preceded by | George Strauss |
Succeeded by | James Callaghan |
Member of Parliament for Dagenham Romford (1935–1945) | |
In office 14 November 1935 – 13 May 1983 | |
Preceded by | William Hutchison |
Succeeded by | Bryan Gould (Dagenham) Thomas Macpherson (Romford) |
Personal details | |
Born | Herbert John Harvey Parker 15 July 1906 Bristol, England |
Died | 24 November 1987 London, England | (aged 81)
Political party | Labour |
Spouse |
Zena Mimardiere (m. 1943) |
Children | 1 |
Alma mater | St John's College, Oxford |
Herbert John Harvey Parker (15 July 1906 – 24 November 1987) was a British Labour Party politician. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Romford in November 1935. After boundary changes, he continued as MP for Dagenham from 1945, remaining in the House of Commons until he retired in June 1983.[1][2] As the longest-serving MP, he was the Father of the House of Commons from 1979 to 1983. When he left parliament in 1983, he was the last serving Member of Parliament to have served in the Commons before the Second World War.
With over 47 years in office, he was the longest-serving Labour MP in the party's history until 15 December 2017, when his record was overtaken by Dennis Skinner.