Parish L. Willis

Parish Lovejoy Willis (November 3, 1838 – October 28, 1917) was an American attorney and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he served as cavalry in the Rogue River War before becoming a lawyer. A Republican, he served one term in the Oregon State Senate in the early 1890s.

Early life Parish Lovejoy Willis was born on November 3, 1838, in Putnam County, Illinois, to Stephen Daws Willis and Nancy Ann Ross. He was educated in the public schools of Illinois before the family moved to the Oregon Territory in 1852. While in school he also kept the monthly weather data for Salem from 1863 to 1865. Also while still a student Oregon Governor A. C. Gibbs appointed Willis as the state librarian, beginning service on July 5, 1864. He was later elected by the Oregon Legislative Assembly to the position and served until October 19, 1866. Elected as a Republican, he served one, four-year term in the legislature spanning two legislative sessions. During the 1893 session he served as chairman of the assessments committee.

Later years In business he was involved in a variety of ventures as a board member including the banking, telephone, Willis was a major shareholder of the Hot Lake Sanatorium Company in Eastern Oregon along with future governor Walter M. Pierce. They were both accused of fraud by another investor, but cleared by the courts of any wrongdoing in 1918. Parish Willis died on October 28, 1917, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 78.