remained MP for Dagenham until he retired at the 1983 general election. He was the last serving MP to have been elected before the Second World War, and he was the Father of the House of Commons from 1979 to 1983. His former PPS, Callaghan, was the next MP to hold this honorary title. Parker was associated with the Fabian Society throughout his political career. He became General Secretary of the New Fabian Research Bureau in 1933 and was General Secretary of the Fabian Society from 1939 to 1945. He was subsequently its Vice-Chairman and Chairman. He became President of the Fabian Society in 1980. He wrote several books, including 42 Days in the Soviet Union (1946) and Labour Marches On (1947), and his memoirs, Father of the House (1982). His archive of papers, spanning nearly 40 years of public office from 1943 to 1982, are held by the London School of Economics as part of the British Library of Political and Economic Science. References External links Catalogue of the Parker papers held at LSE Archives The Parliamentary Archives holds correspondence sent from John Parker to Philip Fanner 1906 births 1987 deaths Chairs of the Fabian Society General Secretaries of the Fabian Society Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People educated at Marlborough College UK MPs 1935–1945 UK MPs 1945–1950 UK MPs 1950–1951 UK MPs 1951–1955 UK MPs 1955–1959 UK MPs 1959–1964 UK MPs 1964–1966 UK MPs 1966–1970 UK MPs 1970–1974 UK MPs 1974 UK MPs 1974–1979 UK MPs 1979–1983 Presidents of the Fabian Society Foreign Office personnel of World War II Ministers in the Attlee governments, 1945–1951