Julia Green Scott (February 14, 1839 – April 29, 1923) was an American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and landowner who served as the president general of 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 ...

from 1909 to 1913. She was one of the largest landowners in the

American Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern c ...

, running multiple farms and owning tens of thousands of acres of land. After her husband, Matthew T. Scott, died in 1891, Scott took over as the largest shareholder and president of the McLean County Coal Company. She was presented the Medal of French Gratitude of the First Class in 1921 by

Jean Jules Jusserand Jean Adrien Antoine Jules Jusserand (18 February 1855 – 18 July 1932) was a French author and diplomat. He was the French Ambassador to the United States 1903-1925 and played a major diplomatic role during World War I. Birth and education ...

for her efforts to rehabilitate the French commune Tilloloy after

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and for helping find homes for over 4,000 French children left orphaned by the war.

Early life and family

Scott was born in

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city and the county seat of Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micr ...

on February 14, 1839, to Rev. Lewis W. Green and Mary Lawrence "Peachy" Fry. Her father, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister, served as the president of

Centre College Centre College, formally Centre College of Kentucky, is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, United States. Chartered by the Kentucky General Assembly in 1819, the col ...

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. It was founded in 1780 and is the oldest university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is Higher educ ...

, and

Hampden–Sydney College Hampden–Sydney College (H-SC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Men's colleges in the United States, college for men in Hampden Sydney, Virginia. Founded in 1775, it is the oldest privatel ...

. Through her mother, Scott was a descendant of the surveyor and adventurer Colonel

Joshua Fry Colonel Joshua Fry (1699–1754) was an English-born American adventurer who became a professor, then real estate investor and local official in the colony of Virginia. Although he served several terms in the House of Burgesses, he may be best kn ...

and the Revolutionary War veteran Joseph Fry. Scott's great-grandfather, Captain James Speed, was an American officer in the Revolutionary War. She was also a descendant of the

Washington family The Washington family is an American family of English origins that was part of both the British landed gentry and the American gentry. It was prominent in Colonial history of the United States, colonial America and rose to great economic and p ...

through both of her parents and a descendant of the

Colonial Virginia The Colony of Virginia was a British Empire, British colonial settlement in North America from 1606 to 1776. The first effort to create an English settlement in the area was chartered in 1584 and established in 1585; the resulting Roanoke Colo ...

n statesman, planter, explorer, and physician Thomas Walker. Scott was the sister of U.S. Second Lady Letitia Green Stevenson. Scott attended

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's ...

in New York.

Marriage and adult life

Scott met her future husband, businessman Matthew T. Scott, while he was a student at Centre College and while her father served as the college's president. They married on May 12, 1859, and moved to the prairie in

Central Illinois Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central third of the state, divided from north to south. Also known as the ''Heart of Illinois'', it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agri ...

. They were among the first residents, and founders, of the town of

Chenoa María Laura Corradini Falomir (born June 25, 1975), known professionally as Chenoa, is an Argentine-Spanish music artist who rose to fame as a contestant on reality television singing competition '' Operación Triunfo''. Her music style could b ...

. She and her husband eventually owned over 45,000 acres of land in Illinois, Iowa, and Tennessee. Chenoa Il Scott House1

In 1870 Scott and her husband moved to Springfield. After a short time there, they moved to Bloomington, where her husband became the president of the McLean County Coal Company and founded the Democratic newspaper ''The Bulletin''. In 1872 they purchased a mansion at 701 E. Taylor Street. Scott and her husband had three children: Lewis, Letitia and

Julia Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...

. After her husband died in 1891, Scott took charge of managing 9,000 acres of farmland in Illinois and Indiana, and became the principal stockholder and president of the McLean County Coal Company. Between 1900 and 1901, Scott had additions built onto the family home on Taylor Street, including two new porches and interior additions designed by the architect Arthur L. Pillsbury. Scott maintained a spring residence in Washington, D.C., a summer residence in

Charlevoix Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...

, a fall residence in Bloomington, and a winter residence in Mississippi. Scott became a prominent socialite and hostess who was very involved in the upper echelons of American

high society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

and politics. Her sister, Letitia, married U.S. Vice President

Adlai Stevenson I Adlai Ewing Stevenson (October 23, 1835 – June 14, 1914) was an American politician and diplomat who served as the 23rd vice president of the United States from 1893 to 1897 under President Grover Cleveland. A member of the History of the Demo ...

and her daughter, Julia, married U.S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture

Carl Schurz Vrooman Carl Schurz Vrooman (October 25, 1872 – April 8, 1966) was the Assistant United States Secretary of Agriculture under Woodrow Wilson. He started the victory garden campaign during World War I. Vroomanwas born in Macon, Missouri, to Judge Hira ...

. Parties and receptions she hosted at her Taylor Street residence were written about in ''The Bulletin'' and ''

The Pantagraph ''The Pantagraph'' is a daily newspaper that serves Bloomington–Normal, Illinois, along with 60 communities and eight counties in the Central Illinois area. Its headquarters are in Bloomington and it is owned by Lee Enterprises. The name is ...

'' newspapers.

Philanthropy

She was an active member of various social organizations and women's clubs, including the Peace Commission of the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of approximately 2,300 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Community Serv ...

and the Women's Council of

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. Scott established the Matthew T. Scott Institute in

Phelps, Kentucky Phelps is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pike County, Kentucky, Pike County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,053 at the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. It is the easternmost census-designated community in Kentucky. Geogr ...

in 1906, in memory of her husband, to provide education for poor white men from the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

. In 1908 she had a monument dedicated to

George Rogers Clark George Rogers Clark (November 19, 1752 – February 13, 1818) was an American military officer and surveyor from Virginia who became the highest-ranking Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot military officer on the American frontier, nort ...

and his companions erected on the banks of the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

near

Fort Massac Fort Massac (or Fort Massiac) is a French colonial and early National-era fort on the Ohio River in Massac County, Illinois, United States. Its site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. History The Spanish explorer ...

. In 1911, as one of Illinois' largest landowners and a conservation advocate, she sent forty of her tenant farmers to the University of Illinois College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences so they could learn advanced farming methods.

Daughters of the American Revolution

Scott joined the

, of which her sister was a founding member. She hosted her local chapter and visiting officers from other chapters to a reception at her home, which had over three-hundred guests. She was elected Vice-president General of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1901 and served in that capacity for four years. In a highly publicized election in 1909, Scott defeated Daisy Allen Story for the office of President-General of the organization. During her tenure as president, the

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 ...

in Washington, D.C. was dedicated as the national headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution. As president, Scott travelled the United States to recruit new members and give speeches promoting the organization's work. The Daughters of the American Revolution gained 7,000 members under her leadership. During

, Scott served as president of the organization's War Relief Committee, raising money to aid war orphans in France. In 1921, French Ambassador

presented her with the Medal of French Gratitude of the First Class in recognition for her efforts to rehabilitate the French commune Tilloloy and the adoption of over 4,000 war orphans. After the end of her second presidential term in 1919, she was elected Honorary President General, a position she retained until her death.

Death

Scott died at her home on April 29, 1923, after suffering a stroke. She is buried in Evergreen Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Julia Green 1839 births 1923 deaths 19th-century American businesswomen 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American women landowners 19th-century American landowners 20th-century American businesswomen 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American women landowners 20th-century American landowners American people of English descent American Presbyterians American socialites American women business executives American women civilians in World War I American women historians American women philanthropists Presidents general of the Daughters of the American Revolution People from Danville, Kentucky Recipients of the Medal of French Gratitude Adlai Stevenson I