Parker, John Johnston, 1885-1958

John Johnston Parker (1885-1958) of Charlotte, N.C., was a judge in the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit from 1925 to 1958.

Parker of North Carolina, judge of the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1925-1958, served as an alternate judge in the Nuremberg trial of major German war criminals in 1945-1946.

Parker of North Carolina, judge of the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1925-1958, served as an alternate judge in the Nuremberg trial of major German war criminals in 1945-1946.

Charles Lee Raper was a professor of economics at the University of North Carolina.

John J. Parker (1885-1958) was born in Monroe, N.C., the son of John Daniel and Frances Johnston Parker. He received the Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina 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. In addition, he won a number of prizes and medals.

After leaving the University, Parker practiced law in Greensboro, N.C., in 1908-1909, and then, from 1910 until 1922, he practiced law in his home town of Monroe. Parker married Maria Burgwin Maffitt of Wilmington, N.C, in 1910. In 1922, Parker moved to Charlotte and became head of the firm of Parker, Stewart, McRae, and Bobbitt. He was nominated for a number of public offices in the state by the Republican Party and ran against Cameron Morrison for governor in 1920. In 1924, he was elected Republican National committeeman from North Carolina and member of 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 United States Circuit Court judges of the Fourth Circuit. He served in this capacity until his death in 1958, at which time he was senior appellate judge of the United States.

In 1930, Parker was nominated by President Herbert Hoover to the United States Supreme Court, but was defeated by one vote in the Senate as a result of political opposition. In 1945-1946, he served as an alternate judge on the International Allied Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Germany.