Marsh Morgan Corbitt Photograph albums, 1905-1918

Marsh Morgan Corbitt was born in Fairfield, Iowa on December 6, 1890. He had two brothers, Hugh Blake Corbitt and Willis Gregg Corbitt, and a sister, Helen. The family moved to Prosser, Washington in 1905 and then to Seattle in 1909 where Marsh completed school at Lincoln High School (1909-1911) before attending the University of Washington from 1911-1917. Corbitt took two years off school following his freshman year in order to earn money, before returning to school and graduating with a BS in Education.

In October 1917, he enlisted in the United States Air Service, then a branch of the United States Army. He completed basic training at Camp Lewis before continuing on to the United States Army School of Military Aeronautics, which was originally established in May 1917 in response to the need for more training schools for Air Service cadets. He completed flight training school in San Diego and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant as a pilot, stationed at Camp Dick in Dallas, Texas. Lt. Marsh Corbitt was honorably discharged in December 1918.

Marsh Corbitt married Eleta L. Abrams in September, 1918 and, following his honorable discharge from the service moved to Phillidelphia, New York City, Seattle and finally to Portland, working first for American Marine Paint Co. and then for Isthmian Steamship Co. It was his work with Isthmian Steamship Co. that ultimately brought him back to the West coast. He was appointed Northwest Traffic manager for the company in November 1945, prompting a move to Seattle and opened a Portland office for the company in 1947. He retired from Isthmian Steamship Co. in December 1954. Marsh Morgan Corbitt passed away in Portland, Oregon on June 1, 1979.