Editing William Barclay Parsons (section)

==Early life==
Parsons was born on April 15, 1859 in New York City, New York, He was the son of William Barclay Parsons (1828–1887)<ref name="WBPObit1888">{{cite news|title=Obituary Notes|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1888/01/01/archives/obituary-1-no-title.html|access-date=August 14, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=January 1, 1888}}</ref> and Eliza Glass Livingston Parsons (1831–1922).<ref name="ELPObit1922">{{cite news|title=Mrs. Eliza Parsons Dead. Member of One of the Oldest New York Families Dies at 91.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/11/05/archives/obituary-1-no-title.html|access-date=August 14, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 5, 1922}}</ref> His siblings included Schuyler (1852–1917), Harry (1862–1935), and George (1863–1939).<ref name="1922Estate">{{cite news|title=MRS. PARSONS LEAVES ESTATE TO RELATIVES; Property Divided Among Children and Grandchildren--$15,000 to an Employe.|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9F04E3DD1638EF3ABC4F52DFB7678389639EDE&legacy=true|access-date=August 14, 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=November 17, 1922}}</ref><ref name="Moffat1904">{{cite book|last1=Moffat|first1=R. Burnham|title=The Barclays of New York: Who They Are and Who They Are Not, – And Some Other Barclays|date=1904|publisher=R. G. Cooke|url=https://archive.org/details/barclaysnewyork01moffgoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/barclaysnewyork01moffgoog/page/n140 128]|access-date=August 14, 2017}}</ref>

In 1871, he went to school in [[Torquay]], England, and studied under private tutors for four years while traveling in France, Germany, and Italy.<ref>''Dictionary of American Biography''. Volume VII, Page 276.</ref> He received a bachelor's degree from [[Columbia College of Columbia University]] in 1879, and a second from the [[Columbia School of Mines]] in 1882. He served as class president and president of the [[Philolexian Society]], and he co-founded the ''[[Columbia Daily Spectator]]'' in 1877.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://c250.columbia.edu/c250_celebrates/remarkable_columbians/william_barclay_parsons.html|title=William Barclay Persons|access-date=April 14, 2014|publisher=Columbia University}}</ref> He later served as chairman of the university's board of trustees.<ref name="WBP1932Obit">{{cite news |date=May 10, 1932 |title=WILLIAM BARCLAY PARSONS. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1932/05/10/archives/william-barclay-parsons.html |access-date=August 14, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>