Richard Henry Parham (1833–1919)

Virginia-born educator Richard Henry Parham spent the majority of his life in Arkansas. He is best known for his work at St. Johns’ College and for the creation of the public school system in the state, most notably in Pulaski County.

Richard Henry Parham was born on December 18, 1833, in Sussex County, Virginia, to Richard Hill Parham and Henrietta Elizabeth Parham. Parham’s father was a planter, and the family appeared on the 1850 federal census in Marshall County, Mississippi. Parham’s father owned $20,000 of real estate and over one hundred enslaved people. The younger Parham appeared on the census as a student.

By 1860, Parham was listed as a farmer on the census in Hardeman County, Tennessee, along with his wife, Ameliora Campbell Trezevant (Ora) Parham. He did not own any enslaved people according to the Census Slave Schedule, but his father continued to own large numbers. The couple would have two daughters who lived to adulthood.

It is unclear what Parham did during the Civil War. Later in life, he used the title “Major,” but little evidence exists to support his service in either army. Some sources misidentify him as being in Dallas County during the war, but the person referenced is his brother, William Cunningham Parham, a graduate of the College of William and Mary and faculty member at various schools in the state.

By 1871, Parham was in Little Rock (Pulaski County), likely following his brother to the state. Parham obtained a position at St. Johns’ College and served as the president of the institution from 1875 to 1878. It is likely that he received the honorary title of major while at the college. While in the role, he worked to increase enrollment, although he was not successful. The college closed in 1882.

Parham became the examiner for Pulaski County, tasked with ensuring the teachers placed in the schools within the county met minimum standards. Outside of his normal duties in the field of education, Parham wrote most of what became Article 14 of the 1874 Arkansas constitution. The section detailed the responsibilities of the state to provide free education to children between the ages of six and twenty-one. It also limited the ability of the state to redirect funds away from public schools and universities.

In 1879, Parham served as the president of the Arkansas State Teachers Association. He also served three terms as the secretary of the organization. He became the first life member of the group in 1902.

In the Little Rock School District, Parham held a number of roles, including principal at the Scott Street School and the Kramer School in the late nineteenth century. He later served as a teacher at Little Rock High School and as a librarian before retiring around World War I.

Parham’s daughter Ora married Powell Clayton, the nephew of the former governor with the same name and the son of murdered congressional candidate John M. Clayton.

Parham died on July 26, 1919; his wife died the following year, and they are buried together in Oakland Cemetery in Little Rock.

A school named in honor of Parham operated in Little Rock for several decades. The Parham School, located at 15th and Vance Streets, educated children in the city from 1909 until 1979. Demolished for the construction of Interstate 630, the school was replaced by Rockefeller Elementary School.

For additional information:
Biennial Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Arkansas. United States: The Department, 1874.

Kennan, Clara B. “Dr. Thomas Smith, Forgotten Man of Arkansas Education.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 20 (Winter 1961): 303–317.

“Maj. R. H. Parham Claimed by Death.” Arkansas Gazette, July 27, 1919, p. 10.

“Major R. H. Parham, Pioneer Educator, Called by Death.” Arkansas Democrat, July 26, 1919, pp. 1, 6.

Parham, Richard H. “Thirty-three Years of Educational Work in Arkansas.” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Biennial Report. Little Rock, 1905–1906, pp. 43–49.

“Parham School.” Little Rock School District. https://www.lrsd.org/o/lrsd/page/history-parham-school (accessed August 13, 2025).

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University