Barrington D. Parker

Who was Barrington D. Parker?

Barrington Daniels Parker, Sr. was a United States federal judge in the District of Columbia.

Parker was born in Rosslyn, Virginia; his father was dean of the now-closed Terrell Law School in Washington, D.C. He attended Dunbar High School in Washington, and graduated from Lincoln University in 1936 with an A.B. in economics, and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1938 with an M.A., finally receiving a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1947.

On September 15, 1969, Parker was nominated by President Richard M. Nixon to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia vacated by Joseph C. McGarraghy. Parker was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 1969, and received his commission on December 19, 1969. His most famous case was the criminal trial of John Hinckley, Jr.. Parker assumed senior status on December 19, 1985, and served in that capacity until his death, in Washington, D.C.

His son, Barrington D. Parker, Jr., is a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.