Marshall Parker

Marshall Joyner Parker (April 25, 1922 – November 15, 2008) was an American Republican politician from South Carolina. Born in Seaboard, North Carolina, he graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (class of 1944). In his first year of college, Mr. Parker was awarded with the Freshmen Athlete of the Year Award. Later, he would go on to letter in boxing and football. Immediately following graduation, Mr. Parker entered into the US Marine Corps serving in the Pacific Theatre during World War II.

After World War II, Parker moved briefly to Danville, Virginia, and then to Seneca, South Carolina. His political career began in Oconee County, South Carolina where he served on the Seneca City Council and the County Board of School Trustees. He would eventually go on to be elected to the South Carolina State Senate, serving as the senator from Oconee County (where his hometown, Seneca, is located). He was a State Senator from 1956 to 1966 where he had a large part in the creation of the technical education system in South Carolina. He also owned and operated Oconee Daries, a milk processing plant serving the Golden Corner of South Carolina.

He is probably best remembered for his efforts to become the first elected Republican U.S. Senator (Senator Strom Thurmond won the 1962 senate election running as a Democrat, in 1964 he switched to the Republican Party) from South Carolina since Reconstruction. That endeavor was attempted during the Special Election of 1966, which followed the death of Senator Olin D. Johnston (Dem. SC). In that election, Mr. Parker (Rep. SC) challenged Governor Ernest Hollings (Dem. SC), who ended up winning the election in a very narrow race. Two years later, then U.S. Senator Hollings (Dem. SC) would go on to defeat Marshall Parker in the regularly scheduled 1968 senate election by a comfortable margin.

The U.S. Senate defeats notwithstanding, Marshall Parker remained committed to the newly invigorated South Carolina Republican Party, and the National Republican Party. He ran for Congress from SC's Third District but was defeated. In later years, Marshall Parker would accept offers to serve as a member of the senior leadership at the Small Business Administration (better known as the SBA) under Presidents Nixon and Reagan.

Following his years of public service, Marshall Parker retired to his farm in Oconee County where he raised beef cattle. Mr. Parker was active even in retirement. He was a member of VFW and American Legion and a former member of Seneca Lions, Sertoma and Rotary Clubs. He was a former member of the Board of Trustees and past president of the Capital Foundation of Tri-County Technical College, Pendleton, SC, where the auditorium is named in his honor. Marshall Parker was a lifelong Methodist and served in many capacities in his local church and for his Conference. Mr. Parker was always accompanied by his life companion and wife, of 65 years, Martha Parker. Together they had four daughters, nine grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and an old Ford Tractor. Marshall Parker died November 15, 2008 at Oconee Medical Center in Seneca SC, after a year of declining health.

External links

• The Political Graveyard

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Name	Parker, Marshall
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Date of birth	April 25, 1922
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Date of death	November 15, 2008
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