Parish Lovejoy Willis (November 3, 1838 – October 28, 1917) was an American attorney and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, he served as cavalry in the

Rogue River War The Rogue River Wars were an armed conflict in 1855–1856 between the U.S. Army, local militias and volunteers, and the Native American tribes commonly grouped under the designation of Rogue River Indians, in the Rogue Valley area of what t ...

before becoming a lawyer. A Republican, he served one term in the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

in the early 1890s.

Early life

Parish Lovejoy Willis was born on November 3, 1838, in

Putnam County, Illinois Putnam County is the least extensive county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2020 United States census, it had a population of 5,637. The county seat is Hennepin. The county was formed in 1825 out of Fulton County and named af ...

, to Stephen Daws Willis and Nancy Ann Ross.Colmer, Montagu, and Charles Erskine Scott Wood. 1910. ''History of the Bench and Bar of Oregon''. Portland, Or: Historical Pub. Co. p. 246.''Who's who in the Northwest''
Western Press Association, 1911, v.1. He was educated in the public schools of

before the family moved to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

in 1852. During the

Southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range The Cascade Range or Cascades is a major mountain range of western North America, extending from southern British Columbia thr ...

he served as a private in the mounted volunteers from March to June 1857. Willis continued his education at the Umpqua Academy in Roseburg from 1859 to 1861. He then went to

Salem Salem may refer to: Places Canada * Salem, Ontario, various places Germany * Salem, Baden-Württemberg, a municipality in the Bodensee district ** Salem Abbey (Reichskloster Salem), a monastery * Salem, Schleswig-Holstein Israel * Salem (B ...

and attended

Willamette University Willamette University is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college with locations in Salem, Oregon, Salem and Portland, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United ...

from 1862 to 1865. In July 1865, he graduated from the school with a bachelor of arts degree.Hines, Gustavus
''Oregon and Its Institutions; Comprising a Full History of the Willamette University''.
Carlton & Porter, 1868, p. 246. 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 The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the State legislature (United States), state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper house, upper and lower chamber: the Oregon State Senate, Sena ...

to the position and served until October 19, 1866. On September 6, 1866, he married Iren H. Stratton in Salem, and they had two daughters and one son. That same month Willis was admitted to the

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar ** Chocolate bar * Protein bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a laye ...

and began practicing law in Salem in partnership with Richard Williams. The law firm lasted until 1873 when Willis left to partner with Reuben P. Boise for three years. In 1879, he moved to

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

where practiced in partnership with Seneca Smith until 1883. Willis then partnered with Williams again for two years and then went into a solo practice.

Political career

Willis was elected to the

in 1890 to represent District 17 in Multnomah County. 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, and the mining industries.Wells, William Bittle. (1900)
''The Pacific Monthly: A Magazine of Education and Progress''.
Pacific Monthly Pub. Co., Vol. 4, p. 138. Willis was a major shareholder of the Hot Lake Sanatorium Company in

Eastern Oregon Eastern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity; thus, the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost countie ...

along with future governor

Walter M. Pierce Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon and a member of the United States House of Representatives from . A native of Illinois, he served in the ...

.''Clarke Woodward Drug Co. v. Hot Lake Sanatorium Co.''
88 Ore. 284, 169 P. 796 (1918). West Publishing Company. They were both accused of fraud by another investor, but cleared by the courts of any wrongdoing in 1918. The former

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, is a historic name for a specialised hospital for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments, and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often in a health ...

is now the

Hot Lake Hotel Hot Lake Hotel (also known as Hot Lake Sanatorium and Hot Lake Resort) is a historic Colonial Revival hotel originally built in 1864 in Hot Lake, Union County, Oregon, United States. The hotel received its namesake from the thermal spring on t ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Parish Willis died on October 28, 1917, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 78.

References

External links

Salem Online History: Salem's Ferries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Parish L. Oregon state senators People from Putnam County, Illinois Portland, Oregon, Republicans Politicians from Salem, Oregon Oregon lawyers Willamette University alumni 1838 births Librarians from Oregon 1917 deaths Rogue River Wars Lawyers from Salem, Oregon 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly