Stanford E. Parris - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Stanford Elmer "Stan" Parris (September 9, 1929 – March 27, 2010) was an American

People of the United States

The people of the United States, also known as simply Americans or American people, are the inhabitants or citizens of the United States. The United States is a multi-ethnic nation, home to people of different ethnic and national backgrounds...

lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

and Republican

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

politician. He represented Virginia's 8th congressional district

Virginia's 8th congressional district

Virginia's Eighth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The residents of the 8th District are currently represented by Democratic Congressman Jim Moran, first elected to the 8th's seat in the U.S...

in the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

for six two year terms. He served in the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, sometimes abbreviated as FCBS, is the governing body of Fairfax County; a county of over a million in Northern Virginia. The board has nine districts, and one at-large district which is always occupied by the Chair...

, Virginia House of Delegates

Virginia House of Delegates

The Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the Virginia General Assembly. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbered years. The House is presided over by the Speaker of the House, who is elected from among the...

, and also as Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth. He served in the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

during the Korean War

Korean War

The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...

, earning several medals.

Early life

Parris was born in Champaign, Illinois

Champaign, Illinois

Champaign is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, in the United States. The city is located south of Chicago, west of Indianapolis, Indiana, and 178 miles northeast of St. Louis, Missouri. Though surrounded by farm communities, Champaign is notable for sharing the campus of the University of...

and educated in the public schools there. He earned a B.S. at University of Illinois

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...

(1950), and an LL.B. at the George Washington University

George Washington University

The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...

(1958) while working as a doorkeeper at the United States Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

. He was a U.S. Air Force F-84 Thunderjet

F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Forces proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...

jet

Jet aircraft

A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...

fighter aircraft

Fighter aircraft

A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...

pilot

Aviator

An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...

in the Korean War

Korean War

, and was shot down once and rescued. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross

Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)

The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...

with cluster

Oak leaf cluster

An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...

, Air Medal

Air Medal

The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...

with clusters, Purple Heart

Purple Heart

The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...

, Presidential Unit Citation (Korea)

Presidential Unit Citation (Korea)

The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation is issued by the government of South Korea to both Korean military and foreign units. The last major issuance of the decoration was during the Korean War when the decoration was bestowed to several U.S., U.K., and Commonwealth military units...

, and Presidential Unit Citation (United States). Following his discharge from the military

Military discharge

A military discharge is given when a member of the armed forces is released from their obligation to serve.-United States:Discharge or separation should not be confused with retirement; career U.S...

, Parris worked briefly as an airline pilot, before starting law school

Law school

A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...

. He was admitted to the bar

Admission to the bar in the United States

In the United States, admission to the bar is the granting of permission by a particular court system to a lawyer to practice law in that system. Each U.S. state and similar jurisdiction has its own court system and sets its own rules for bar admission , which can lead to different admission...

in 1958, and set up a private law practice in Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria, Virginia

Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...

. Parris was president of a Chrysler

Chrysler

Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....

dealership in Woodbridge, Virginia

Woodbridge, Virginia

-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 31,941 people, 10,687 households, and 7,769 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 3,047.8 people per square mile . There were 11,026 housing units at an average density of 1,052.1/sq mi...

and the Flying Circus Aerodrome, an air show

Air show

An air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....

Politics

Parris was elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors

and served one term (1964–1967). In 1969, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates

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

United States House of Representatives

, but lost his 1974 reelection bid to Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Herb Harris in the post-Watergate scandal

Watergate scandal

The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...

. In the 1980 House elections, he defeated Harris. Parris considered a run for the U.S. Senate in 1982. He sought his party's nomination for the 1985 election of Governor of Virginia

Governor of Virginia

The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....

, but withdrew in May. In 1989, Parris again ran for Governor of Virginia

Governor of Virginia

. He lost in the Republican

Republican Party (United States)

primary to former Attorney General Marshall Coleman

Marshall Coleman

J. Marshall Coleman is a Republican politician in Virginia who ran for several statewide offices between the late 1970s and early 1990s.-Life:...

and former United States Senator Paul S. Trible. He also served a term as Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth in the late 1970s.

In the 93rd Congress Parris was a member of the House Committee on Science and Technology, its subcommittees on Aeronautics and Space Technology

United States House Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics

The Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics is one of five subcommittees of the United States House Committee on Science and Technology.- Jurisdiction :...

, Science, Research, and Development and Energy. Economic woes and a federal budget stalemate contributed to his 1990 election loss to then Alexandria mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

James P. Moran, Jr.

Jim Moran

James Patrick "Jim" Moran, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in Northern Virginia and includes the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington County, and a portion of Fairfax County.Jim Moran was...

Parris was also known for introducing a bill during his first term which prohibited the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

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

Marion Barry

Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...

. He had three electoral battles with Democrat Herbert E. Harris, losing in 1974 before ousting Harris from Congress in 1980. Parris defeated Harris in a rematch in 1982, spending $700,000 in Virginia's most expensive congressional campaign up to that point.

President

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

appointed him to a seven-year term as President of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation

The Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation. The SLSDC is responsible for the safe and efficient movement of marine traffic through the U.S.-owned and operated facilities of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which consists of 2 of the...

in 1991, weeks after he left Congress. He resigned four years later to run for a seat in the Virginia Senate. His primary residence after leaving congress was in Melbourne, Florida

Melbourne, Florida

Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of 2009, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 78,323. The municipal area is the second largest by size and by population in the county. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida...

; but he also owned property in Matthews County, Virginia.

Death

Stanford Parris died from heart disease

Heart disease

Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

on March 27, 2010 at his home in Mathews County

Mathews County, Virginia

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,978 people, 3,932 households, and 2,823 families residing in the county. The population density was 108 people per square mile . There were 5,333 housing units at an average density of 62 per square mile...

in eastern Virginia. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...

.

Upon the death of Parris, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell

Bob McDonnell

Robert Francis "Bob" McDonnell is an American politician who has been the 71st Governor of Virginia since January 2010. A former lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, McDonnell served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1993 to 2006 and served as Attorney General of Virginia from 2006...

said in a statement that Parris "played major leadership roles" in endeavors as varied as the establishment of the Torpedo Factory Art Center

Torpedo Factory Art Center

The Torpedo Factory Art Center is an art center located on the waterfront of the Potomac River at 105 North Union Street in the Old Town of Alexandria, Virginia, United States...

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."

Electoral history

! Year
!
! Subject
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
! Opponent
! Party
! Votes
! %
!
|-
|1972

United States House election, 1972

The U.S. House election, 1972 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1972 which coincided with the landslide re-election victory of President Richard M. Nixon...

||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |60,446
| |44.4
|
| |Robert F. Horan
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |51,444
| |37.7
|
| |William Durland
| |Independent
| |18,654
| |13.7
|colspan=5|
|-
|1974

United States House election, 1974

The U.S. House election, 1974 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1974 that occurred in the wake of the Watergate scandal, which had forced President Richard M. Nixon to resign in favor of Gerald Ford...

||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |38,997
| |42.3
|
| |Herbert E. Harris
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |53,074
| |57.6
|
|colspan=5|
|-
|1980
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |95,624
| |48.8
|
| |Herbert E. Harris
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |94,530
| |48.2
|
| |Deborah Frantz
| |Independent
| |5,729
| |3.0
|colspan=5|
|-
|1982
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |69,620
| |49.7
|
| |Herbert E. Harris
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |68,071
| |48.5
|
| |Austin W. Morrill
| |Independent
| |2,373
| |1.6
|colspan=5|
|-
|1984
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |125,015
| |55.7
|
| |Richard L. Saslaw

Richard L. Saslaw

Richard Lawrence "Dick" Saslaw is an American politician. A conservative Democrat, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates 1976–80, after which he was elected to the Senate of Virginia...

| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |97,250
| |43.3
|
| |Donald Carpenter
| |Independent
| |1,814
| |0.8
|colspan=5|
|-
|1986
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |72,670
| |61.7
|
| |James H. Boren
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |44,965
| |38.2
|
|colspan=5|
|-
|1988
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |154,761
| |62.3
|
| |David G. Brickley
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |93,561
| |37.6
|
|colspan=5|
|-
|1990
||
| |Stanford Parris
| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |76,367
| |44.6
|
| |James Moran
Jim Moran
James Patrick "Jim" Moran, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in Northern Virginia and includes the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington County, and a portion of Fairfax County.Jim Moran was...

| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |88,745
| |51.7
|
| |Robert T. Murphy
| |Independent
| |5,958
| |3.5
|colspan=5|

External links

Lobbyist Profile
Obituary from the Washington Post

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