Parkinson also served in national appointments to a White House Conference on Education, and the Advisory Committee on Women in the Armed Forces.
Parkinson attended Vineland High School, graduating in 1915, and studied psychology and political economy at Smith College from 1916 to 1920.
In a special election in 1930, Parkinson became the Democratic nominee for the seat, facing Republican opponent Dwight Morrow.
Starting in 1932, she was appointed by Governor A. Harry Moore to be a member of the New Jersey State Board of Tax Appeals.
[3] Parkinson's Civil Service Commission position made her the "longest-serving woman cabinet member in [New Jersey] state history.
President Lyndon Johnson appointed Parkinson to the Advisory Committee on Women in the Armed Forces, on which she served from 1964 to 1966.
[8] The Thelma Parkinson Sharp papers are held at Rutgers University Archives and Special Collections.