John C. Parrish, Dr. (1939)

PARRISH, LEAVITT, LAMBERT

Posted By: Mary Welty Hart (email)
Date: 3/6/2014 at 20:33:53

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
January 19, 1939

DR. JOHN C. PARISH, Los Angeles, Ca.

Last Monday's Register had an account of the death of Dr. John C. Parish at Los Angeles, Calif.

Dr. Parish was born in Des Moines where his father, Leonard W. Parish, was superintendent of the Des Moines schools during the 80's. He moved to Cedar Falls with his parents where his father was Professor of Didactics and Methods at the Iowa State Normal School during the 90's. His father was killed in the Green Mountain wreck on the Great Western.

John graduated from the Cedar Falls high school and the State Teachers College and came to Winterset where he taught in the high school in 1903 and 1904. He was one of the nine men who organized the Madison County Historical Society in March 1904. His death leaves only one of the charter members living - Herman Mueller.

After leaving Winterset in 1904, he went to the State University of Iowa where he became assistant editor of the State Historical Society.

He prepared several biographical books of the early governors and senators. He studied in France and Spain out of which he wrote a novel "The Man With An Iron Hand." After he received his doctor of philosophy degree at the State University, he secured a position as professor history with the University of California at Los Angeles in 1922.

He gave an address before the Madison County Historical Society a few years before going West. He has kept in close touch with this organization since its beginning 35 years ago.

He is survived by his widow, Ruth Leavitt Davison and a sister, Mrs. Byron J. Lambert of Iowa City, Iowa.

H. A. Mueller