Archie Parr

Full Name: Archer "Archie" Parr
Date of birth: December 25, 1860
Date of death: October 18, 1942

Terms of Service
Biographical Notes
Committee Information
Legislation

Terms of Service top

Chamber	District	Dates of Service	Legislatures	Party	City/County	Note	Counties in District
S	27	Jan 13, 1931 - Jan 8, 1935	43rd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ 42nd ⁽³⁾ 43rd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval	Dean of the Senate. (43rd) Senate President Pro Tempore (43rd) Dean of the Senate. (42nd)	Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala
S	27	Jan 11, 1927 - Jan 13, 1931	41st ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 40th ⁽⁶⁾ 41st ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval	Dean of the Senate. (41st)	Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala
S	27	Jan 13, 1925 - Jan 11, 1927	39th ⁽⁷⁾ ⁽⁸⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval		Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala
S	23	Jan 9, 1923 - Jan 13, 1925	38th ⁽⁹⁾ ⁽¹⁰⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval		Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata
S	23	Jan 14, 1919 - Jan 9, 1923	37th ⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾ 36th ⁽¹³⁾ 37th ⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval	Senate President Pro Tempore (37th)	Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata
S	23	Jan 12, 1915 - Jan 14, 1919	34th ⁽¹⁵⁾ 35th ⁽¹⁴⁾	Democrat	Benavides / Duval		Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata

(1) 43rd Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, Ad Interim 4th C.S., elected 11/10/1934. Senate Journal.
(2) 43rd Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/10/1933, p. 1. Senate Media.
(3) 42nd Legislature - Roll Call of Newly-Elected Senators, oath of office administered, 1/13/1931, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(4) "Fifteen State Senators Must Seek Re-Election in Summer", 1/3/1930, p. 2. Big Spring Daily Herald.
(5) 41st Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/8/1929, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(6) 40th Legislature - Certificate of New Senators and Roll Call of New Senators, 1/11/1927, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(7) 39th Legislature - All 31 Senators were elected on November 4, 1924, per Secretary of State, oath of office administered, 1/13/1925, p. 1. Senate Journal.
(8) 39th Legislature - Drawing for Terms of Office, 1/15/1925, pp. 34-35. Drew 2-year term. Senate Journal.
(9) 2-year term; entire Senate went up for reelection in 1924 due to redistricting. Act approved 1921 and effective Apr. 1, 1924, 37th Leg., 1st C.S., ch. 60, Apportionment Laws of Texas, 1836-1950, 1950.
(10) 38th Legislature - List of State Senators Elected at the General Election Held November Seventh, 1922, oath of office administered, 1/9/1923, p. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(11) 37th Legislature - Senate President Pro Tempore, elected 8/16/1921, 1st C.S. Senate Journal.
(12) 37th Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/11/1921, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(13) 36th Legislature - Filed certificate of election and administered oath of office, 1/14/1919, p. 2. Majority and minority committee reports in Parr-Glasscock election contest printed, 3/11/1919, pp. 837-838, and Appendix, pp. 839-840. Adoption of majority report (seating Senator Parr), 3/12/1919, p. 867. Senate Journal. January 14, 1919 March 11, 1919 March 12, 1919
(14) 35th Legislature - Roll Call of Holdover Senators, 1/9/1917, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.
(15) 34th Legislature - Elected November 3, 1914, oath of office administered to members elect, 1/12/1915, pp. 1-2. Senate Journal.

Terms of Service top

Senate District 27
Jan 13, 1931 - Jan 8, 1935
Legislatures: 43rd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾ 42nd ⁽³⁾ 43rd ⁽¹⁾ ⁽²⁾
Dean of the Senate. (37th)
Dean of the Senate. (37th)
(37th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala

Senate District 27
Jan 11, 1927 - Jan 13, 1931
Legislatures: 41st ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾ 40th ⁽⁶⁾ 41st ⁽⁴⁾ ⁽⁵⁾
Dean of the Senate. (37th)
(37th)
(37th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala

Senate District 27
Jan 13, 1925 - Jan 11, 1927
Legislatures: 39th ⁽⁷⁾ ⁽⁸⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Brooks, Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Frio, Hidalgo, Jim Hogg, Jim Wells, Kenedy, Kleberg, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata, Zavala

Senate District 23
Jan 9, 1923 - Jan 13, 1925
Legislatures: 38th ⁽⁹⁾ ⁽¹⁰⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata

Senate District 23
Jan 14, 1919 - Jan 9, 1923
Legislatures: 37th ⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾ 36th ⁽¹³⁾ 37th ⁽¹¹⁾ ⁽¹²⁾
Senate President Pro Tempore (37th)
(37th)
(37th)
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata

Senate District 23
Jan 12, 1915 - Jan 14, 1919
Legislatures: 34th ⁽¹⁵⁾ 35th ⁽¹⁴⁾
Party: Democrat
Home City/County: Benavides / Duval
Counties in district: Cameron, Dimmit, Duval, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Nueces, San Patricio, Starr, Webb, Zapata

Biographical Information top

Resolutions and Journal entries

48th Legislature, R.S., SR 36, 2/17/1943, p. 227. Resolutions - Memorial.
38th Legislature, 3rd Called Session, "On Members of the Senate," pp. 325-326. Senate Journal.

Biographical Sketches

PARR, ARCHER (1860-1942). Handbook of Texas Online.
Biographical sketch, "Who's Who and What's What in the Texas Legislature," by Ed Kilman, 2/7/1929, p. 9. Houston Post-Dispatch.
Biographical sketch, Senate of the 35th Legislature, "A Look at the Affairs of State: The Real Names and Addresses of Thirty-one Senators With Additional Facts," The Houston Post, 3/22/1917, p. 6. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries).

Other Resources

Description of Archer Parr's temperment and his efforts to obtain, expand, and maintain political power in Duval County, pp. 173-193. Boss Rule in South Texas, 1979.
Obituary, 10/19/1942, p. 7. Dallas Morning News.
Photograph of Senator Archie Parr, first "Duke of Duval." Duke of Duval: the Life and Times of George B. Parr, 1976.
History of the Parr family's involvement in local South Texas politics, 976.4 C237D 2017. The Dukes of Duval County: The Parr Family and Texas Politics, 2017.
Account of Archer Parr's birth, rise to power, years in the Texas Senate, and retirement from active politics. Includes details of the Parr-Glasscock election contest, pp. 26-41. Fall of the Duke of Duval, 1995.
Evan Anders, "Boss Rule and Constituent Interests: South Texas Politics during the Progressive Era," The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 84, Number 3, January 1981, pp. 269-292. Mentioned on p. 269, photo p. 290.
Evan Anders, "The Origins of the Parr Machine in Duval County, Texas," The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 85, Number 2, October 1981, pp. 119-138.
Mentioned in "Southwestern Collection: Accessions," The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 86, Number 3, January 1983, p. 417, as one of three members of the 1921 special investigating committee on hazing at Texas A&M. All crediting Texas State Historical Association. Portal to Texas History (University of North Texas Libraries). January 1981 January 1983 October 1981
See the Austin-American, January 9, 1935, p. 2, col. 1 ("Deans of the 43rd legislature, J. L. Goodman of Franklin in the house and Archer Parr in the senate, were defeated for re-election and retired from the active political picture.") Texas Senate, Secretary of the Senate - Memo, January 8, 2002, 'Deans of the Texas Senate', 2002.

Photographs

Photograph. A. Parr, 43rd Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Archie Parr, 42nd Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Archie Parr, 41st Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Parr, 40th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Parr, 39th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Parr, 38th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Parr, 37th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Parr, 36th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. A. Pagr, 35th Legislature, State Preservation Board
Photograph. Archer Parr, 34th Legislature, State Preservation Board

Composite Photographs on Display in the Capitol

34th session composite photo of Senate members (Senate chamber gallery, south wall. 3E.5). State Preservation Board.
35th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
36th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
37th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
38th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
39th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
40th session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, west wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
41st session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, east wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
42nd session composite photo of Senate members (3rd floor back hall corridor, east wall. 3E.C2). State Preservation Board.
43rd session composite photo of Senate members (Ground floor corridor, south wall. GE.C1). State Preservation Board.

Committee Information top

43rd R.S. - 1933 Congressional Districts Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expense Counties and County Boundaries Criminal Jurisprudence Educational Affairs Finance Game and Fish Highway Department Investigation, Committee of the Whole Senate Internal Improvements Mining, Irrigation and Drainage Nominations of the Governor Rio Grande Valley Hurricane Damage Rules Senatorial Districts State Affairs State Highways and Motor Traffic Stock and Stockraising (Chair) Texas Rehabilitation and Relief Commission Investigation, Committee of the Whole Senate
42nd R.S. - 1931 Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expense Counties and County Boundaries (Vice Chair) Criminal Jurisprudence Educational Affairs Finance Internal Improvements (Vice Chair) Mining, Irrigation and Drainage Moody Chair Purchase, Investigate State Affairs State Highways and Motor Traffic Stock and Stock Raising (Chair)
41st R.S. - 1929 Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expenses Counties and County Boundaries (Vice Chair) Criminal Jurisprudence Educational Affairs Engrossed Bills Internal Improvements Mining, Irrigation and Drainage Rules State Affairs State Highways and Motor Traffic Stock and Stock Raising (Chair)
40th R.S. - 1927 Constitutional Amendments Contingent Expenses Counties and County Boundaries (Vice Chair) Criminal Jurisprudence Educational Affairs Highways and Motor Traffic Internal Improvements Mining, Irrigation and Drainage State Affairs Stock and Stock Raising (Chair)
39th R.S. - 1925 Contingent Expense Counties and County Boundaries (Vice Chair) Internal Improvements Mining, Irrigation and Drainage Public Health Roads, Bridges and Ferries (Highways and Motor Traffic as of 1/23/1925) State Affairs State Song, Investigate Stock and Stock Raising (Chair)
38th R.S. - 1923 Agricultural Affairs (Vice Chair) Criminal Jurisprudence Finance Internal Improvements Mining, Irrigation and Drainage Privileges and Elections Public Lands and Land Office Stock and Stock Raising (Chair)
37th R.S. - 1921 Agricultural Affairs (Chair) Agricultural and Mechanical College Hazing Investigating Congressional Districts Criminal Jurisprudence Internal Improvements Labor State Affairs Stock and Stock Raising
36th R.S. - 1919 Agricultural Affairs Counties and County Boundaries (Chair) Internal Improvements Labor Mining, Irrigation and Drainage (Vice Chair) Senatorial Districts State Affairs Stock and Stock Raising
35th R.S. - 1917 Congressional Districts Counties and County Boundaries Federal Relations Finance Judicial Districts Public Lands and Land Office State Penitentiaries Stock and Stock Raising
34th R.S. - 1915 Counties and County Boundaries (Chair) Federal Relations Internal Improvements Judicial Districts Judiciary No. 1 Mining and Irrigation Public Health Public Lands and Land Office Stock and Stock Raising

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