Don Parkinson | |
Office: | Speaker of the 23rd Guam Legislature |
Term Start: | January 2, 1995 |
Term End: | January 6, 1997 |
Predecessor: | Joe T. San Agustin |
Successor: | Antonio R. Unpingco |
Office1: | Majority Leader of the Guam Legislature |
Term Start1: | January 2, 1989 |
Term End1: | January 1, 1995 |
Office2: | Member of the Guam Legislature |
Term Start2: | January 3, 1983 |
Term End2: | January 6, 1997 |
Birth Name: | William Don Parkinson |
Birth Date: | 1942 |
Birth Place: | Idaho, US |
Death Place: | Philippines |
Party: | Democratic |
Spouse: | Marina Parkinson |
Children: | 7 |
Education: | J.D., University of Idaho |
William Don Parkinson (1942 – August 31, 2020) was an American Veteran and Sergeant of the Vietnam war, politician, and lawyer who served as Speaker of the Guam Legislature[1] from 1995 to 1997 and as Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995. A member of the Democratic Party of Guam, he also served as a Senator for 7 consecutive terms, from 1983 to 1997.
Parkinson was born in 1942 in Idaho and served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.[2] [3] [4] He graduated from the University of Idaho law school.[5]
Parkinson was admitted to the State Bar of California on November 25, 1974, served as a staff attorney for the Micronesian Constitutional Convention of 1975, and as a prosecuting attorney for Colfax, Washington.
Election | Guam Legislature | Primary Placement | General Placement | Result | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1982 | 17th Guam Legislature | 18 | 4 | Elected[6] | |
1984 | 18th Guam Legislature | 10 | 8 | Elected[7] | |
1986 | 19th Guam Legislature | 1 | 2 | Elected[8] | |
1988 | 20th Guam Legislature | 6 | 8 | Elected[9] | |
1990 | 21st Guam Legislature | 3 | 3 | Elected[10] | |
1992 | 22nd Guam Legislature | No primary election | 15 | Elected[11] | |
1994 | 23rd Guam Legislature | 4 | 7 | Elected[12] | |
1996 | 24th Guam Legislature | 8 | 24 | Not elected[13] | |
2000 | 26th Guam Legislature | No primary election | 26 | Not elected[14] | |
2004 | 28th Guam Legislature | 20 | N/A | Not elected[15] | |
2006 | 29th Guam Legislature | 10 | 24 | Not elected[16] |
Guam Legislature | Term | Position | |
---|---|---|---|
20th Guam Legislature | 1989-1991 | Majority Leader | |
21st Guam Legislature | 1991-1993 | Majority Leader | |
22nd Guam Legislature | 1993-1995 | Majority Leader | |
23rd Guam Legislature | 1995-1997 | Speaker |
Guam Legislature | Term | Position | Committee | |
---|---|---|---|---|
19th Guam Legislature | 1987-1989 | Chairman | Committee on Energy, Utilities and Consumer Protection | |
20th Guam Legislature | 1989-1991 | Chairman | Committee on Energy, Utilities and Consumer Protection | |
21st Guam Legislature | 1991-1993 | Chairman | Committee on Energy, Utilities and Consumer Protection | |
22nd Guam Legislature | 1993-1995 | Chairman | Committee on Electrical Power and Consumer Protection | |
23rd Guam Legislature | 1995-1997 | Chairman | Committee on Electrical Power and Consumer Protection |
Parkinson introduced unemployment insurance legislation during each of 5 terms: Bill 929 during the 19th,[27] Bill 285 during the 20th,[28] Bill 101 during the 21st, Bill 123 during the 22nd, and Bill 99 during the 23rd Guam Legislatures, respectively.
It had been expected that Senator Thomas C. "Tom" Ada would be chosen by his colleagues as Speaker of the Guam Legislature, but a group of Democratic and Republican Senators elected Parkinson as Speaker, instead.[29] [30] [31]
Parkinson ran for Attorney General of Guam in 2002.[32] He placed 3rd in the general election in November with 15% of the vote.[33]
Don Parkinson married Marina Parkinson and was the father of 7 children. One of his children, William M. "Will" Parkinson, ran for the Guam Legislature and the Consolidated Commission on Utilities in 2018.[34] [35] William Parkinson was later elected as a senator to the 37th Guam Legislature. [36]
Parkinson was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in the late 1980s. He died in the Philippines on August 31, 2020.[37] [38]