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Photo of Robert S. Parker

Robert S. Parker

  • President, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 1939–1941
  • Born: August 23, 1884
  • Died: March 28, 1941

Robert Parker was the sixth president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He served from February 18, 1939, until his death on March 28, 1941.

Parker was born in 1884 in Dalton, Georgia. He attended Emory University and graduated in 1905. He then earned a law degree from the University of Georgia in 1907. He was a member of the Chi Phi fraternity and the Sphinx, the highest honorary society at the school.

Parker started his career as a lawyer at a firm that had represented the Atlanta Fed since it opened in 1914. On January 1, 1923, he left the law firm to become the Bank’s first in-house general counsel. In March 1936, he became the first officer to hold the title of first vice president.

Parker became president of the Atlanta Fed on February 18, 1939, succeeding Oscar Newton. Only two years later, Parker passed away. His unexpected death created a leadership vacuum in the Bank. William S. McLarin Jr., his first vice president, succeeded him as president.

Parker was a member of the Atlanta Rotary Club, Atlanta Bar Association, and the Atlanta Lawyers Club. He was also a patron and supporter of the Metropolitan Opera Company.


Written by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. See disclaimer.