Parsons, George Whitwell, 1850-1933

Parsons was born in Washington, DC, Aug. 26, 1850; graduated Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, NY; moved to CA, 1876 and worked for several years at National Bank & Trust Co. San Francisco; moved to Tombstone, AZ, 1880, and was involved in mining; relocated to Los Angeles, CA, 1887 and was charter member Chamber of Commerce serving as director and chairman for Committee on Mines and Mining, and Transportation Committee; represented CA at Omaha Exposition; was identified with mining industry and was active in promoting Southern CA oil and mineral development, Los Angeles Harbor, and many civic projects in LA; died 1933.

Biographical note: George Whitwell Parsons was born in 1850 in Washington D.C. and later moved with his parents to Brooklyn, N.Y. As a youth he went to Florida and then to San Francisco. Upon arrival in California he heard about the mineral strikes in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. Parsons departed California and arrived in Tombstone in 1879. Initially he worked as a laborer in the mines and later established a partnership with J. L. Redfern as mining agents for the area. Parsons relocated to Los Angeles, California in 1887 and became involved with the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce as its director and served as president of the Los Angeles Mining and Stock Exchange. Parsons died June 5, 1933.

Pioneer, cowboy, bookkeeper.

George Whitwell Parsons was born in Washington, D.C., on August 26, 1850 but grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he took a degree in accounting and bookkeeping at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute before studying law in his father's law firm. Seeking adventure, he came to Florida in 1873, spending much of his time in the Miami area and the Keys.

In 1876, having returned to New York, Parsons set off once again, this time for Los Angeles and San Francisco. He eventually became a prominent citizen of Tombstone, Arizona, where he was a close friend of Wyatt Earp. Many of his western diaries have been transcribed and published by Carl Chafin, with copies in the library collection at University of Florida.