Lucian Walton "Father" Parrish (January 10, 1878 – March 27, 1922) was a
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
from
Texas
Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, and a star college athlete and coach.
Born in Sister Grove, near
Van Alstyne, Texas
Van Alstyne is a city in Grayson and Collin Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 3,046 at the 2010 census, up from 2,502 at the 2000 census. The Grayson County portion of Van Alstyne is part of the Sherman– Denison M ...
, Parrish moved with his parents to Clay County in 1887 and settled near
Joy, Texas
Joy is an unincorporated community in southern Clay County, Texas, United States. According to the Handbook of Texas, the community had a population of 100 in 2000. It is located within the Wichita Falls metropolitan area.
History
North of the ...
where they owned a ranch. He attended the public schools of Joy and Bowie, Texas, and the North Texas State Normal College at
Denton, Texas
Denton is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, Denton County. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the List of cities in Texas by population, 20th-most populous city in Texas, the List of Un ...
(now the
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...
).
College Athlete
After teaching school for two years, he attended the University of Texas from 1903-1906 where he played football and ran track. Parrish was a
guard
Guard or guards may refer to:
Professional occupations
* Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault
* Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street
* Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning
* Prison gu ...
on the
Varisty football team, and captained the team in 1906 helping them to go 9-1 and 4-0 in conference play and made the all-Southern Team every year. He captained the track team in 1904. He also served as president of the Political and Economic Association and of the Student Association.
He stayed at Texas to go to Law School and served as an assistant coach for 2 years under coach
W. E. Metzenthin in 1907-08 during which time the team went 11-5-1. He graduated from the law department of the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public university, public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 stud ...
with M.A. and law degrees in 1909.
In 1913 he was He was chosen for an all-time Texas team by R. W. Franklin and in 1970 he was named to the Longhorn Hall of Honor.
Political career
Parrish was admitted to the bar in 1909 and commenced practice in
Henrietta, Texas
Henrietta is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,111 at the 2020 census, a decline of 30 from the 2010 tabulation of 3,141.
Hi ...
and practiced law with William Wantland. A lifelong
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY)
**Democratic Part ...
, Parrish was elected as to the Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses and served from March 4, 1919 until his death in 1921
Death
Parrish was campaigning for the nomination for U.S. Senator for Texas when he was seriously injured in an automobile crash on March 15, 1922. Parrish was driving from
Anson to
Roby when his car plunged off a bridge over the Cottonwood Creek in
Fisher County. He injured his skull and broke his jaw. He was taken to a hospital in
Stamford. His condition got worse and he was transferred to a hospital in
Wichita Falls
Wichita Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Wichita County, Texas, United States. It is the principal city of the Wichita Falls metropolitan statistical area, which encompasses all of Archer, Clay, and Wichita Counties. According to ...
. Twelve days after he was hurt, he died at the age of 44 of
cerebral meningitis, which had developed during his convalescence.
["Rep. Lucian W. Parrish Dies of Fatal Injuries Received While on Senatorial Campaign", ''El Paso (TX) Herald'', March 28, 1922, p. 5] He was interred in Hope Cemetery in
Henrietta Henrietta may refer to:
* Henrietta (given name), a feminine given name, derived from the male name Henry
Places
* Henrietta Island in the Arctic Ocean
* Henrietta, Mauritius
* Henrietta, Tasmania, a locality in Australia
United States
* Hen ...
.
See also
*
References
Sources
Parrish, Lucius Walton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrish, Lucian Walton
1878 births
1922 deaths
University of North Texas alumni
University of Texas School of Law alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Texas
All-Southern college football players
American football guards
Texas Longhorns football players
People from Henrietta, Texas
Road incident deaths in Texas
20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives