William Henry Parsons headed the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice

New York Society for the Suppression of Vice

The New York Society for the Suppression of Vice was an institution dedicated to supervising the morality of the public, founded in 1873. Its specific mission was to monitor compliance with state laws and work with the courts and district attorneys in bringing offenders to justice. It and its...

 from 1930 until his death. Previously he had served as the society's treasurer, from 1912-1930. Born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 he attended the Park Institute at Rye and then Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, graduating in 1882. He was president of Parsons, Whittemore, Inc., an elder at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, an a member of the Brooklyn branch of the YMCA

YMCA

The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...

. He was married to Laura Wolcott Collins who died in 1928. They had three sons and two daughters.