 In 1905, he became treasurer, and eventually, after the death of Carson Peck in 1916, he became general manager and vice president of the Woolworth Company in 1917.Following the death of Frank W. Woolworth in 1919, Parson (who was always thought of by Woolworth as the son he never had) served as the second president of the company before retiring in 1932 (just before the company's 60-year age limit), responsible for the founding of over 2,000 stores.In 1893, Parson was married to Maysie Adelaide Gasque (d. 1956).