Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean (January 28, 1859 – May 20, 1916) was an American civic leader who served as the 7th president general of the

National Society Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a Genealogy, lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a Patriot (American Revolution), patriot of t ...

Early life and family

McLean was born Emily Nelson Ritchie on January 28, 1859, at Prospect Hall, the home of her grandparents in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in, and the county seat of, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. Frederick's population was 78,171 people as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of municipalities in Maryland, second-largest ...

. She was the first of eighteen children born to John Ritchie, a lawyer and politician, and Betty Nelson Maulsby Ritchie, a civic leader. Her paternal grandparents were Albert Ritchie, a physician, and Catharine Lackland Davis Ritchie, daughter of 2nd Lieutenant James Lackland of the Frederick County Militia. Her maternal grandparents were Colonel William P. Maulsby, son of Israel D. Maulsby, and Emily Nelson, daughter of Brigadier General

Roger Nelson Roger Nelson may refer to: * Roger Nelson (politician) (1759–1815), represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives * Roger Nelson (skydiver) (1955–2003), founder of Skydive Chicago * Roger Nelson (Canadian football) (1932– ...

. She was a relative of Maryland Governor

Albert Ritchie Albert Cabell Ritchie (August 29, 1876 – February 24, 1936) was an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, he was the 49th governor of Maryland from 1920 to 1935. Ritchie was a conservative who campaigned for, but did not win, the presid ...

. She first resided with her parents on the north side of W. Patrick Street in Frederick, east of Carroll Creek, where they were neighbors of

Barbara Fritchie Barbara Fritchie (née Hauer; December 3, 1766 – December 18, 1862), also known as Barbara Frietchie, and sometimes spelled Frietschie, was a Unionist during the Civil War. She became part of American folklore in part from a popular poem ...

. The Ritchie family later moved a block north to 114 W. Church Street in the Court Square area of downtown Frederick, living in a large home built in 1821 by McLean's granduncle, John Nelson. McLean was educated at Frederick Female Seminary, graduating in 1873, and continued to study history, languages, and mathematics as a post-graduate.

Daughters of the American Revolution

McLean joined the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

shortly after the society was founded, and became a charter member of the New York City chapter. She later served as a regent of the New York City chapter. She was an active commissioner from New York to the

Cotton States and International Exposition Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

in 1895, served as an honorary commissioner at the South Carolina Exposition, and gave a public address at the Tennessee Exposition. In November 1899, she gave a speech about patriotism at the West End Woman's Republican Association. She was considered a candidate for DAR's president general in 1901 but lost to Cornelia Cole Fairbanks. On April 20, 1905, she was elected as president general during the first NSDAR Continental Congress to take place in the auditorium of

Memorial Continental Hall The Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. is the national headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). It is located at 1776 D Street NW, sharing a city block with the DAR's later-built Administration Building, and Con ...

. McLean served as the president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution for two consecutive terms, from 1905 to 1909. Upon her election as the seventh president general, it was said by members of the DAR that "Mrs. McLean is to the Daughters of the American Revolution what President Roosevelt is to the nation—a leader." During her tenure as president general, she brought practical construction to the building of

. She also oversaw the establishment of the DAR's first scholastic scholarship for

Berry College Berry College is a private university in the Mount Berry community adjacent to Rome, Georgia. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Berry College was founded on values based on Christian principles in 1 ...

Personal life

She married Donald McLean, a lawyer from New York City, on April 24, 1883, at All Saints Episcopal Church. The wedding was officiated by Rev. Osborn Ingle and Bishop

William Pinkney William Pinkney (March 17, 1764February 25, 1822) was an American statesman and diplomat, and was appointed the seventh U.S. Attorney General by President James Madison. Biography William Pinkney was born in 1764 in Annapolis in the Province o ...

. She was the first of her sisters to be married. She gave birth to three daughters, Elizabeth Maulsby McLean in 1852, Rebecca McCormick McLean in 1887, and Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean in 1889. The family lived in at 186 Lenox Avenue, a four-story townhouse in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, Manhattan. Her husband was elected as a New York City alderman in 1881 and was later appointed by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

to serve as General Appraiser of Merchandise for the Port of New York City under the authority of the

United States Department of the Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the Treasury, national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current United States federal executive departments, U.S. government departments. ...

. In 1910, the family faced public scandal as her husband was accused of

embezzling Embezzlement (from Anglo-Norman, from Old French ''besillier'' ("to torment, etc."), of unknown origin) is a type of financial crime, usually involving theft of money from a business or employer. It often involves a trusted individual taking ...

money given to him to invest in the Third Reformed Presbyterian Church of New York City. This scandal was followed by more accusations of mismanagement of finances in 1913 and 1914, which led to lawsuits. In April 1916, while vacationing in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

with her brother-in-law, Read Admiral

Walter McLean Walter Franklin McLean, (born April 26, 1936) is a former Canadian politician. Born in Leamington, Ontario, he grew up in Victoria British Columbia, the son of James Walter Lewis McLean (1905–1998), a Presbyterian minister, and Frances D. B ...

, fell gravely ill. She was taken to the Church Home and Infirmary in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, where she died on May 20, 1916, from complications associated with

cirrhosis of the liver Cirrhosis, also known as liver cirrhosis or hepatic cirrhosis, chronic liver failure or chronic hepatic failure and end-stage liver disease, is a chronic condition of the liver in which the normal functioning tissue, or parenchyma, is replaced ...

. A funeral service was held on May 22, 1916, at All Saints Church, followed by a burial service at Mount Olivet Cemetery. At the time, her funeral was one of the largest to ever take place in Frederick.

Legacy

The Emily Nelson Chapter of the DAR in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

is named in honor of McLean and her grandmother, Emily Nelson. The Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean Fund was also named in her honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, Emily Nelson Ritchie 1859 births 1916 deaths 19th-century American women 20th-century American women American socialites Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Frederick, Maryland) Deaths from cirrhosis Episcopalians from Maryland Maulsby family

Emily Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 song ...

People from Frederick, Maryland Presidents General of the Daughters of the American Revolution