He was a U.S. Air Force F-84 Thunderjet jet fighter aircraft pilot in the Korean War, and was shot down once and rescued.

Parris was president of a Chrysler dealership in Woodbridge, Virginia and the Flying Circus Aerodrome, an air show.

"[3] Nonetheless, he was elected in 1972 to the United States House of Representatives, but lost his 1974 reelection bid to Democrat Herb Harris in the post-Watergate scandal.

[7] Economic woes and a federal budget stalemate contributed to his 1990 election loss to then Alexandria mayor James P. Moran Jr.[8] Parris was also known for introducing a bill during his first term which prohibited the National Football League from imposing television blackouts of non-sold-out games.

During the campaign, Parris, referring to the issue of the Gulf War, said, "The only three people I know who support Saddam Hussein's position are Moammar Gadhafi, Yasser Arafat, and Jim Moran."

[14] His primary residence after leaving Congress was in Melbourne, Florida; but he also owned property in Mathews County, Virginia.

[5] Stanford Parris died from heart disease on March 27, 2010, at his home in Mathews County in eastern Virginia.

[5] Following the death of Parris, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell said in a statement that Parris "played major leadership roles" in endeavors as varied as the establishment of the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town Alexandria to flood control and closing the District of Columbia's former Lorton Reformatory in Fairfax County, Virginia, and that "He used his time on this Earth to help others, and to effectively advance the ideas and principles in which he believed.