The Four Founders

On October 11, 1890, the Daughters of American Revolution was founded. From the article:

"A Brief History of the Founding of DAR
On October 11, 1890, eighteen women and four men met in Washington for the purpose of organizing the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) had recently been founded in New York City on April 30, 1889. Some SAR societies permitted women and some did not. At the next year’s general meeting on April 30, 1890, the matter was put to a vote and the SAR decided to officially exclude women from its membership.

This event sparked controversy and discussion in the national press, and caught the attention of Mary Smith Lockwood. Incensed that the contributions of women to the American Revolution were not being recognized, Mrs. Lockwood wrote a fiery editorial that was published in the Washington Post on July 13, 1890. In it, she demonstrated convincingly that women had contributed much to the Revolutionary cause that had previously been overlooked and ignored. She asked, “Were there no mothers of the Revolution?”

William O. McDowell, Vice President General of SAR, disagreed with the vote and believed that women should form their own similar patriotic organization. He wrote his own letter to the Post, which was published on July 21, urging women to organize and offering his assistance. Six women soon replied, including Miss Mary Desha who wrote, “I am good for any amount of work.”

Eighteen women attended the first official organizing meeting held on October 11, 1890 at the Strathmore Arms boarding house at 810 12th Street, the home of Mrs. Lockwood. These include the four women traditionally considered to be the organization’s founders: Mrs. Lockwood, Miss Desha, Miss Eugenia Washington, and Mrs. Ellen Hardin Walworth. Four men also attended the meeting and formed the first Advisory Board to the NSDAR.

During the meeting, the first slate of national officers was elected, with the nation’s first lady, Mrs. Benjamin Harrison, as President General. The women adopted a tentative constitution, discussed the scheduling of annual meetings, and decided that October 11 would be the permanent anniversary of the society. Their first resolution pledged support toward completing the memorial monument to Mary Washington, mother of George Washington. And so the first meeting of the DAR was adjourned, having laid the groundwork for a long tradition of patriotic service to the nation.

Based on the account in A Century of Service: The Story of the DAR by Ann Arnold Hunter. NSDAR: Washington, D.C., 1991."