Parr was born in Dublin, Ireland, to Captain John Parr and Eleanor Clements,[1] as part of the Anglo-Irish aristocracy that had settled on the island during the 17th century.
His mother Eleanor was the daughter of David Clements, of Rath Kenny, County Cavan, Ireland.[1] His sister, Rachel Parr, married John Clements, who was the brother of Rt. Honorable Nathaniel Clements.
His father fought at the battle of the Boyne, and won distinction at Blenheim, Marlborough's greatest victory. Through his father's line, the family claimed direct descent from Lord Parr, Baron Kendal, who was a well-known nobleman, in the north of England, in the reign of Henry VIII, whose arms of their family are to be seen in the Parr Chapel of Kendal Church, Westmorland.[1] The eldest son of this nobleman emigrated to Ireland and settled in 1620 at Belturbet, County Cavan.[1]
In 1762, he married Sarah Walmsley, the second daughter of Richard Walmesley of "The Hall of Ince," Lancashire, and had five children, three sons and two daughters.[1]
Education and military service
John Parr's family was heavily involved in the English military, including his brother Colonel Peter Parr, who was Lieutenant-Governor of Fort George, Scotland.
Parr arrived in Halifax with his family on 5 October 1782. His predecessor, Francis Legge, had been an absentee governor for six years since he had been recalled to England, and the colony had been under the stewardship of a succession of military lieutenant-governors. The last of them was Sir Andrew Hamond, who had expected to be named governor himself. Angry at Parr's appointment, he resigned shortly after the new governor's arrival and returned to England. Edmund Fanning, a recently-arrived Loyalist, was named Parr's new lieutenant-governor.
In 1786, when the colonial administration of British North America was reorganized, Parr had hoped to be named to the new position of Governor-General of The Canadas and Governor-in-Chief of British North America but was disappointed when the position went to Guy Carleton who was elevated to the peerage as Lord Dorchester. The position of governor of Nova Scotia was then abolished, and Parr was reappointed as lieutenant governor of the province, with his superior being Lord Dorchester.
Parr's administration oversaw the settlement of Black Nova Scotians, who were African-American Loyalists fleeing the United States. Parr was accused of "discriminatory practices and long delays" in the matter. He attempted to establish a whaling industry in Dartmouth (see Quaker Whaler House), and was embroiled in the "judges' affair" in which lawyers accused him of appointing incompetent or biased jurists to the bench.
Parr was under pressure to provide land and supplies for the new Loyalist settlers without bankrupting the treasury.
The British government was inundated with complaints about the difficulties the Loyalists were facing and Parr's allegedly-unsympathetic attitude towards them. The stress of the position may have taken a toll on his health since he died in office at the age of 66. He funeral, with full military honours, was presided by the 20th Foot. He was interred in Halifax's St. Paul's Church.
