Born in Buckfield, Massachusetts (now in Maine), Parris attended the common schools, whereupon he entered Hebron Academy in Hebron, then Colby College in Waterville.
Parris was admitted to the bar in 1830 and commenced practice in Buckfield, Maine.
Parris was elected as a Democrat to the Twenty-fifth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Timothy J. Carter.
He was reelected to the Twenty-sixth Congress and served from May 29, 1838, to March 3, 1841, but was an unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1840.
From 1844 to 1848, Parris served as United States marshal for the district of Maine, then as special mail agent for New England in 1853.