Richard Bordeaux Parker (July 3, 1923 – January 7, 2011) was an American diplomat, who was as a Foreign Service Officer, and an expert on the Middle East.

He attended Kansas State University, but left in 1943 to join the U.S. Army during World War II.

In 1982, Parker participated in a study group held at the Council on Foreign Relations where he discussed current problems in North Africa.

After these meetings Parker spent two years compiling and writing North Africa: Regional Tensions and Strategic Concerns.

The collection includes black and white negatives of Islamic architecture throughout Algeria, Cairo, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Morocco, and Spain.