(Born: October 5, 1804 – Died: December 24, 1877)

Born in Lee, New Hampshire, he was the son of John Fabyan Parrott. He graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy, third in the Class of 1824. Parrott was assigned to the Third Regiment of Artillery as a second lieutenant. He remained at West Point as an instructor until 1829, then saw garrison duty and served as a staff officer in operations against the Creek Indians early in 1836. Promoted to captain ilater that year, he was assigned as inspector of ordnance at the new West Point Iron and Cannon Foundry in Cold Spring, New York, a civilian enterprise. Its owner, Gouverneur Kemble, persuaded Parrott to leave the army and become the foundry’s superintendent.

In 1839 Parrott married Kemble’s sister, Mary, and leased the foundry from his brother-in-law. He bought 7,000 forested acres to assure his charcoal supply and acquired the Greenwood Iron Furnace for a steady source of pig iron.While employed at West Point, he and his brother Peter Parrott also participated in the operation of the Kemble-owned furnaces in Orange County, New York. The brothers purchased a 1/3 interest in Greenwood Furnace from a minority holder in 1837, and bought it entirely from the Parrotts in 1839.

As a private citizen Parrott was able to experiment with cannons and projectiles without the usual red tape involved in government foundries. His accomplishments during his tenure included the perfection of a rifled cannon and its corresponding projectile (both named after him) patented in 1861, and the Parrott sight and fuze which were developed during the Civil War years. The fact that his foundry was used to manufacture his weapons is proved by the letters WPF (West Point Foundry) found on the Parrott gun tube, along with his initials RPP.

Parrott's cannons are distinguished by a single reinforcing band around the breech of the iron tube. His first rifled cannon design, a 10-pounder (2.9-inch caliber), was turned out in 1860. By the next year he had developed the 20-pounder (3.67-inch caliber) and 30-pounder (4.2-inch caliber) versions, among other models. In 1864, an improved 10-pounder Parrott rifle of 3-inch caliber replaced the older 2.9-inch caliber 10-pounder rifle, to make its ammunition consistent with that of the new 3-inch ordnance rifle.

Parrott's largest cannon, the 300-pounder version weighed 26,000 lb (11,800 kg), and its projectile weighed 300 lb (140 kg).

Offered at cost to the United States government, Parrott guns equipped Union land and naval forces throughout the Civil War. During the war Captain Parrott refused to enrich himself by charging the government an extravagant price for his guns, and at its close he voluntarily cancelled a large contract that had recently been awarded him.

The Parrott designs were copied by Southern foundries, such as Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond, Virginia, for use in the Confederate Army.

In 1867, Parrott left his superintendency at the West Point Foundry to concentrate on the ironworks in Orange County. However, he continued to experiment with artillery shells and fuses at West Point until his death at Cold Spring at the age of 73.

The Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance memorialized Parrott: "The staunch friend, the Christian gentleman, the soul of honor, not one of all the virtues that keep green the memory of the dead can be denied him; but above all it can be written on his tomb—he was a good man."