Peonies, Pinchot, and Progressivism: Frank Willits
- Emma Leuschner
- Aug 2
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 4
Francis “Frank” Parvin Willits’ life began as a Victorian tragedy. Frank was born on November 3rd, 1856, in Berks County, Pennsylvania, to David and Charlotte Willits. His parents died when he was six years old, leaving him in the care of distant family members. Frank attended school in Concord Township at the Maplewood Institute.
In 1885, Frank, then a storeowner in Berks County, bought a 95-acre farm in Concord Township. He married Elizabeth Paschall the same year, who bore two sons: Paul Lincoln (b. 1887) and Joseph Henry (b. 1889). Frank subsequently operated a flourishing business, including general farming, dairying, peony raising, and mushroom cultivation. He was a progressive community leader and Independent Republican (and one-time Prohibitionist) who contributed greatly to his farming profession, Concord Township, and the state of Pennsylvania.
For the next 20 years, he was active in many local, state, and federal agricultural organizations. Willits organized and founded the Interstate Milk Producers Association in 1915, considered to be the first large milk marketing cooperative in Pennsylvania. The Interstate Milk Producers Association acted as a collective bargaining association and proved successful for its members. Frank served as the president and treasurer, and later as the honorary director. In 1917, he was instrumental in the creation of the National Cooperative Milk Producers’ Federation. Frank was instrumental in pioneering large-scale mushroom cultivation, which is said to have contributed to it becoming one of the area's major industries.
In 1923, he was appointed the Secretary of Agriculture of Pennsylvania under Pennsylvania Governor Gifford Pinchot. Willits was a longtime friend of Pinchot and served in his gubernatorial cabinet until 1927. Frank also served on the Board of Trustees for the State College of Pennsylvania from 1923 to 1944. Frank was the treasurer for the Pennsylvania State Grange for 30 years. Frank also organized and served as the director of the Grange National Bank in Downingtown, Pennsylvania. He worked as the director of the Stock Land Bank of Philadelphia and the Pomona Mutual Insurance Company No. 3 of West Chester. Frank was also a longtime member of the Concord Township School Board. Frank was also heavily involved in both temperance and suffrage movements. His home was regularly opened to Concord Women's Christian Temperance Union meetings, often led by his wife, Elizabeth.
After a long life dedicated to farmers and their shared practice, Frank Willits passed away on July 12th, 1945. He was noted by Henry Graham Ashmead in "Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Chester and Delaware Counties, Pennsylvania" as “strong of purpose, persevering in effort, honorable in all business transactions.”
Frank Willits made significant contributions to the farming industry on local and national levels, as well as promoting economic stability and offering moral support to the farmers in his community. The Willits Farm remained in the family for 90 years. Currently, the property is owned by Concord Township and used by the Concord Township Historical Society as a museum and archive known as the Pierce-Willits House.
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