Juliette Gordon Low

Juliette Gordon Low (born October 31, 1860, Savannah, Georgia, U.S.—died January 18, 1927, Savannah) was the founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

Juliette Gordon was born into a prominent Georgia family. She was educated at private schools in Virginia and New York City and for some years thereafter traveled widely. She married William M. Low, a fellow native of Savannah, Georgia, who was living in England, in 1886. Her interest in the Scout movement stemmed from her friendship with Robert and Agnes Baden-Powell, who had organized the Boy Scouts and its sister organization, the Girl Guides, in England. After forming a small troop of Girl Guides in Scotland and two in London, Low returned to the United States and organized the nation’s first troop of Girl Guides in Savannah in March 1912. In 1913 she established a headquarters in Washington, D.C. (later moved to New York City), and the movement grew rapidly.

In 1915, by which time the name had been changed to the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, the movement was formally organized on a national basis, and Low was elected president, a post she retained until 1920. Low traveled throughout the United States, donating and soliciting funds and organizing troops. In 1919 she represented the United States at the first International Council of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts. At her retirement in 1920 she was honoured with the title of founder, and her birthday was set aside as Girl Scouts Founder’s Day. Her devotion to the movement continued unabated after her retirement. By the time of her death in 1927 there were more than 140,000 Girl Scouts, in troops in every U.S. state, and by the early 21st century the organization had grown to include some 3.7 million members. In 2012 Low was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.