Editing Daughters of the American Revolution

{{Short description|Nonprofit lineage organization}}
{{About|the women's organization|the Grant Wood painting|Daughters of Revolution{{!}}''Daughters of Revolution''}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2018}}
{{Infobox organization
| name = Daughters of the American Revolution
| full_name = National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
| image = Constitution Hall.jpg
| caption= [[DAR Constitution Hall]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]
| logo         = Daughters_of_the_American_Revolution_logo.png
| logo_size    =
| headquarters = [[Memorial Continental Hall]]<br>1776 D Street NW<br>Washington, D.C., U.S.
| publication = ''[[American Monthly]]'' (1892–2001)<br>''American Spirit Magazine'' (2001–present)<br>''Daughters Magazine'' (2001–present)
| affiliations = [[Children of the American Revolution]]
| founded  = October 11, 1890
| founders = [[Mary Smith Lockwood]]<br/>[[Mary Desha]]<br/>[[Ellen Hardin Walworth]]<br/>[[Eugenia Washington]]
| founding_location = Strathmore Arms<br/>810 12th Street NW<br/>[[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| leader_title = President General
| leader_name = [[Pamela Rouse Wright]]
| type = Non-profit, [[lineage society]], [[Service club|service organization]]
| focus = Historic preservation, education, patriotism, community service
| membership = 190,000
| abbreviation = NSDAR or DAR
| homepage = {{URL|dar.org}}
}}
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 the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="darrequirements">
{{cite web| title = How to Join the DAR| publisher = Daughters of the American Revolution| url = https://www.dar.org/national-society/become-member/how-join| access-date= April 14, 2018
}}</ref> A non-profit group, the organization promotes education and [[patriotism]]. Its membership is limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the [[American Revolution]] era who aided the revolution and its subsequent [[American Revolutionary War|war]]. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have a birth certificate indicating that their gender is female. DAR has over 190,000 current members<ref>Continental Congress membership report</ref> in the [[United States]] and other countries.<ref>Daughters of the American Revolution. (2013). In ''Encyclopædia Britannica.'' Retrieved from [http://library.eb.com/eb/article-9029443 library.eb.com]</ref> The organization's motto was originally "Home and Country" until the twentieth century, when it was changed to "God, Home, and Country".<ref name="NYT-Nir-New_Chapter">{{cite news |last1=Maslin Nir |first1=Sarah |title=For Daughters of the American Revolution, a New Chapter |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/nyregion/for-daughters-of-the-american-revolution-more-black-members.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 3, 2012 |access-date=May 23, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Plys |first1=Kate |title=I Had Luncheon With the DAR |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/i-had-luncheon-with-the-dar/Content?oid=877876 |access-date=May 23, 2016 |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |publisher=Sun-Times Media |date=July 4, 1991}}</ref><ref>"The Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum." Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum – Marian Anderson. N.p., n.d. Web. May 23, 2016.</ref>

==History==
In 1889, the centennial of President [[George Washington]]'s inauguration was celebrated, and Americans looked for additional ways to recognize their past. Out of the renewed interest in [[History of the United States|United States history]], numerous patriotic and preservation societies were founded. On July 13, 1890, after the [[Sons of the American Revolution]] refused to allow women to join their group, [[Mary Smith Lockwood]] published the story of patriot [[Hannah White Arnett]] in ''[[The Washington Post]],'' asking, "Where will the Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution place Hannah Arnett?"<ref name="books.google.com">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7S5CAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA234|title=Daughters of the American Revolution Magazine|year=1915|access-date=October 30, 2014}}</ref> On July 21 of that year, William O. McDowell, a great-grandson of Hannah White Arnett, published an article in ''The Washington Post'' offering to help form a society to be known as the Daughters of the American Revolution.<ref name="books.google.com"/> The first meeting of the society was held August 9, 1890.<ref name="books.google.com"/>
[[File:Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution cropped.JPG|thumb|''[[The Founders of the Daughters of the American Revolution]]'' sculpture honoring DAR's four founders]]
The first DAR chapter was organized on October 11, 1890,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.redlandscommunitynews.com/history/dar-honors-real-daughters-of-the-revolutionary-war-buried-in/article_f98c9cfe-a403-11e9-bb10-4f444cc5fdaf.html|title=DAR honors Real Daughters of the Revolutionary War buried in Redlands|last=Contributed|website=Redlands News|date=July 12, 2019 |language=en|access-date=2020-02-05}}</ref> at the Strathmore Arms (810 12th Street NW),<ref>https://planning.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/op/publication/attachments/The%20Women%27s%20Suffrage%20Movement%20in%20Washington%2C%20DC_.pdf</ref> the home of [[Mary Smith Lockwood]], one of the DAR's four co-founders. Other founders were [[Eugenia Washington]], a great-grandniece of [[George Washington]], [[Ellen Hardin Walworth]], and [[Mary Desha]]. They had also held organizational meetings in August 1890.<ref name = "SAR1">{{Harvnb|National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution|1991|p=22.}}</ref> Other attendees in October were [[Sons of the American Revolution]] members Registrar General Dr. [[George Brown Goode]], Secretary General A. Howard Clark, William O. McDowell (SAR member #1), Wilson L. Gill (secretary at the inaugural meeting), and 18 other people.

The U.S. First Lady [[Caroline Harrison|Caroline Lavina Scott Harrison]], wife of President [[Benjamin Harrison]], lent her prestige to the founding of DAR, and served as its first [[DAR President General|President General]]. Having initiated a renovation of the [[White House]], she was interested in historic preservation. She helped establish the goals of DAR, which was incorporated by [[congressional charter]] in 1896.
[[File:Women on stage at Daughters of the American Revolution convention 3c20444v.jpg|thumb|250px|right|President General [[Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean]] speaks at the NSDAR Convention in 1908.]]
In this same period, similar organizations as the [[Colonial Dames of America]], the [[National Society of the Colonial Dames of America]], the [[General Society of Colonial Wars]], the [[Mayflower Society]], the [[Mary Ball Washington|Mary Washington]] Memorial Society, [[Preservation Virginia|Preservation of the Virginia Antiquities]], [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]], and [[Sons of Confederate Veterans]] were also founded. This was in addition to numerous fraternal and civic organizations flourishing in this period.

On March 3, 1913, the [[Woman Suffrage Procession]] concluded with a rally at [[Memorial Continental Hall]], the society's national headquarters, as many members of DAR were active in the [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage movement]].<ref name=":123">Zahniser and Fry (2014). p. 149.</ref>

==Structure==
DAR is structured into three Society levels: National Society, State Society, and Chapter.  A State Society may be formed in any US State, the District of Columbia, or other countries that are home to at least one DAR Chapter. Chapters can be organized by a minimum of 12 members, or prospective members, who live in the same city or town.<ref>{{cite book |title=National Bylaws of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution |pages=26, 36}}</ref>

Each Society or Chapter is overseen by an executive board composed of a variety of officers.  National level officers are: [[DAR President General|President General]], First Vice President General, Chaplain General, Recording Secretary General, Corresponding Secretary General, Organizing Secretary General, Treasurer General, Registrar General, Historian General, Librarian General, Curator General, and Reporter General, to be designated as Executive Officers, and twenty-one Vice Presidents General.  These officers are mirrored at the State and Chapter level, with a few changes: instead of a President General, States and Chapters have Regents, the twenty-one Vice Presidents General become one Second Vice Regent position, and the title of "General" is replaced by the title of either "State" or "Chapter". Example: First Vice President General becomes State First Vice Regent.<ref>{{cite book |title=National Bylaws of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution |pages=12}}</ref>

==Historic programs==
[[File:1926 - Allentown Revolutionary War monument.jpg|thumb|A Daughters of the American Revolution tablet erected in 1926 at Old Allentown Cemetery in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania]] honoring Allentown [[Patriot (American Revolution)|patriots]] from the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]] who are buried in the cemetery]]
The DAR chapters raised funds to initiate a number of historic preservation and patriotic endeavors. They began a practice of installing markers at the graves of Revolutionary War veterans to indicate their service, and adding small flags at their gravesites on [[Memorial Day]].

Other activities included commissioning and installing monuments to battles and other sites related to the War. The DAR recognized women patriots' contributions as well as those of soldiers. For instance, they installed a monument at the site of a spring where Polly Hawkins Craig and other women got water to use against flaming arrows, in the defense of [[Bryan Station]] (present-day [[Lexington, Kentucky]]).

In addition to installing markers and monuments, DAR chapters have purchased, preserved, and operated historic houses and other sites associated with the war.

=== DAR Hospital Corps (Spanish–American War, 1898) ===
In the 19th century, the U.S. military did not have an affiliated group of nurses to treat servicemembers during wartime. At the onset of the Spanish–American War in 1898, the U.S. Army appointed Dr. [[Anita Newcomb McGee]] as Acting Assistant Surgeon to select educated and experienced nurses to work for the Army. As Vice President of the DAR (who also served as NSDAR's first Librarian General), Dr. McGee founded the DAR Hospital Corps to vet applicants for nursing positions. The DAR Hospital Corps certified 1,081 nurses for service during the Spanish–American War. DAR later funded pensions for many of these nurses who did not qualify for government pensions.

Some of DAR-certified nurses were trained by the [[American Red Cross]], and many others came from religious orders such as the Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Mercy, and Sisters of the Holy Cross.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dar.org/national-society/about-dar/did-you-know|title=Daughters of the American Revolution: Did You Know?|access-date=October 4, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Highlights in the History of the Army Nurse Corps|last=Ed. Feller|first=Carolyn M. and Debora R. Cox|publisher=U.S. Army Center of Military History|year=2016|location=Washington, D.C.|pages=5}}</ref> These nurses served the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in the U.S., [[Cuba]], and the [[Philippines]] during the war. They paved the way for the eventual establishment—with Dr. McGee's assistance—of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Gessner|first=Ingrid|date=2015|title=Heroines of Health: Examining the Other Side of the 'Splendid Little War'|url=https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/10784|journal=European Journal of American Studies|volume=10-1, Special Issue: Women in the USA|pages=1–20|via=OpenEdition}}</ref>

=== Textbook committees ===
During the 1950s, statewide chapters of the DAR took an interest in reviewing school textbooks for their own standards of suitability. In Texas, the statewide "Committee on Investigations of Textbooks" issued a report in 1955 identifying 59 textbooks currently in Texas public schools that had "socialistic slant" or "other deficiencies" including references to "Soviet Russia" in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Feb 21, 1955 Issue {{!}} Texas Observer Print Archives|url=https://issues.texasobserver.org/pdf/%22|access-date=2020-07-06|website=issues.texasobserver.org|archive-date=June 2, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602010048/https://issues.texasobserver.org/pdf/%22|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1959, the Mississippi chapter's "National Defense Committee" undertook a state lobbying effort that secured an amendment to state law which added "lay" members to the committee reviewing school textbooks. A DAR board member was appointed to one of the seats.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WpIuAAAAIAAJ&q=DAR%20Textbook%20Study%20Committee&pg=PA28|title=United States Congressional Serial Set|date=1962|publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office|language=en}}</ref>

==Contemporary DAR==
There are nearly 180,000 current members of the DAR in approximately 3,000 chapters across the United States and in several other countries. The organization describes itself as "one of the most inclusive genealogical societies"<ref name="DAR History">{{cite web|title=DAR History|url=http://www.dar.org/national-society/about-dar/dar-history|website=Daughters of the American Revolution|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref> in the United States, noting on its website that, "any woman 18 years or older—regardless of race, religion, or ethnic background—who can prove lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is eligible for membership".<ref name="DAR History"/> The current [[DAR President General]] is [[Pamela Rouse Wright]], the founder and owner of a jewelry and luxury goods business in Texas.

===Eligibility===
Membership in the DAR today is open to all women, regardless of race or religion, who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an [[ancestor]] who aided in achieving [[United States Declaration of Independence|United States independence]].<ref name="darrequirements"/> The National Society DAR is the final arbiter of the acceptability of the documentation of all applications for membership.

Qualifying participants in achieving independence include the following:
* Signatories of the [[United States Declaration of Independence]];
* Military veterans of the [[American Revolutionary War]], including State navies and militias, local [[militia]]s, [[privateer]]s, and [[Military history of France|French]] or [[Military history of Spain|Spanish]] soldiers and sailors who fought in the American theater of war to include the Island of Cuba;
* [[Civil servant]]s of provisional or State governments, [[Continental Congress]] and State conventions and assemblies;
* Signers of [[Oath of Allegiance (United States)|Oath of Allegiance]] or [[Oath of Fidelity and Support]];
* Participants in the [[Boston Tea Party]] or [[Edenton Tea Party]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=VanBuren |first=Denise Doring |date=December 14, 2020 |title=A Productive Executive Session |url=https://blog.dar.org/productive-executive-session |website=DAR Blog}}</ref>
* Prisoners of war, refugees, and defenders of fortresses and frontiers; doctors and nurses who aided Revolutionary casualties; ministers; petitioners; and
* Others who gave material or patriotic support to the Revolutionary cause.<ref name="darrequirements"/>

DAR published a book, available online,<ref name="Forgotten Patriots Book">{{cite web|title=Forgotten Patriots Book|url=http://www.dar.org/library/forgotten-patriots/forgotten-patriots-book|website=Daughters of the American Revolution}}</ref> with the names of thousands of minority patriots, to enable family and historical research. Its online Genealogical Research System (GRS)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?tab_id=0|title=DAR Genealogical Research Databases|website=services.dar.org}}</ref> provides access to a database, and it is digitizing family Bibles to collect more information for research.

The organization has chapters in all 50 [[U.S. states]] and [[Washington, D.C.]]. DAR chapters outside the U.S. have been founded in [[Australia]], [[Austria]], the [[Bahamas]], [[Bermuda]], [[Canada]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], [[Japan]], [[Mexico]], [[Spain]], and the [[United Kingdom]]. DAR is a governing organization within the [[Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America]], and each DAR President General has served on HSC's board since its inception.

===Educational programs===
DAR says that they contribute over $1 million annually to support five schools that provide for a variety of special student needs.<ref name="darschools">{{cite web | title =DAR Supported Schools
  | publisher =DAR
  | url =http://www.dar.org/natsociety/edoutrech.cfm
  | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref> The five supported schools are:
*[[Berry College]] in [[Mount Berry, Georgia]]
*[[Crossnore School Historic District|Crossnore School]] in [[Crossnore, North Carolina]]
*[[Kate Duncan Smith DAR School]] in [[Grant, Alabama]]
*Hillside School in [[Marlborough, Massachusetts]]
*[[Hindman Settlement School]] in [[Hindman, Kentucky]]
Scholarships and funds are given to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] youth at [[Chemawa Indian School]] in [[Salem, Oregon]] and [[Bacone College]] in [[Muskogee, Oklahoma]].<ref name="darschools" />

=== Civic work ===
[[File:Rhode Island DAR at Gaspee Days parade.jpg|thumb|Rhode Island's DAR chapter at the 2023 Gaspee Days Parade in [[Pawtuxet Village]]]]
DAR members participate in a variety of veteran and citizenship-oriented projects, including:
 
* Providing more than 200,000 hours of volunteer time annually to veterans in [[U.S. Veterans Administration]] hospitals and non-VA facilities
* Offering support to America's service personnel in current conflicts abroad through care packages, phone cards and other needed items
* Sponsoring special programs promoting the Constitution during its official celebration week of September 17–23
* Participating in naturalization ceremonies

===Exhibits and library at DAR headquarters===
DAR maintains a genealogical library at its headquarters in [[Washington, D.C.]], which provides guides for individuals doing family research. Its bookstore presents scholarship on United States and women's history.

Temporary exhibits in the galleries have featured women's arts and crafts, including items from the DAR's quilt and embroidery collections. Exhibit curators provide a social and historical context for girls' and women's arts in such exhibits, for instance, explaining practices of mourning reflected in certain kinds of embroidery samplers, as well as ideals expressed about the new republic. Permanent exhibits include American furniture, silver, and furnishings.

===Literacy promotion===
In 1989, the DAR established the NSDAR Literacy Promotion Committee, which coordinates the efforts of DAR volunteers to promote child and adult literacy. Volunteers teach English, tutor reading, prepare students for GED examinations, raise funds for literacy programs, and participate in many other ways.<ref name="darliteracy">{{cite web
  | title =Literacy Promotion
  | publisher =DAR
  | url =http://www.dar.org/natsociety/content.cfm?id=265&fo=y&hd=n
  | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref>

===American history essay contest===
DAR holds an annual national American history essay contest for students in 5th through 8th grades. A different topic is selected each year. Essays are judged "for historical accuracy, adherence to topic, organization of materials, interest, originality, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and neatness." The contest is conducted locally by DAR chapters. Chapter winners compete against each other by region and nationally; national winners receive a monetary award.<ref name="daressay">{{cite web
  | title =American History Essay
  | publisher =DAR
  | url =http://www.dar.org/natsociety/content.cfm?id=319&fo=y&hd=n
  | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref>

===Scholarships===
DAR awards $150,000 annually in scholarships to high school graduates, and music, law, nursing, and medical school students. Only two of the 20 scholarships offered are restricted to DAR members or their descendants.<ref name="darscholarships">{{cite web
  | title =Scholarships
  | publisher =DAR
  | url =http://www.dar.org/natsociety/edout_scholar.cfm
  | access-date = November 8, 2007 }}</ref>

=== Debutante balls ===
Certain chapters of the DAR partner with the Sons of the American Revolution to host [[debutante balls]] where daughters of members are presented to [[high society|society]] as [[debutantes]] and sons of members are presented as "patriots".<ref name= advocate>{{cite news |date= June 26, 2022|title= Debutantes, patriots introduced at DAR, SAR George Washington Ball at Petroleum Club|url= https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/entertainment_life/debutantes-patriots-introduced-at-dar-sar-george-washington-ball-at-petroleum-club/article_1b58b874-f1b1-11ec-b232-4fcba777537e.html|work= [[The Acadiana Advocate]]|location= [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]|access-date= April 24, 2024}}</ref> Members of the Children of the American Revolution may also be presented.<ref name= advocate/> The Pennsylvania State Society of the DAR hosts the annual Constitution Debutante Ball in [[Valley Forge, Pennsylvania|Valley Forge]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dar.org/national-society/events/pennsylvania-darsarcar-constitution-debutante-ball|title= Pennsylvania DAR/SAR/CAR Constitution Debutante Ball|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2014 |website= Daughters of the American Revolution|access-date= April 24, 2024}}</ref> In [[Lafayette, Louisiana]], the Galvez Chapter of the DAR hosts the annual George Washington Ball, commemorating the birthday of George Washington.<ref>{{cite news |last= Wartelle |first= Kris|date= March 19, 2019|title= The DAR hold its annual George Washington ball|url= https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/social-scene/2019/03/19/dar-hold-its-annual-george-washington-ball/3204896002/|work= [[The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana)|The Daily Advertiser]]|location= [[Lafayette, Louisiana]]|access-date= April 24, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last= Wartelle|first= Kris|date= May 4, 2017|title= Daughters of the American Revolution celebrate 58|url= https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/life/luxury-living/2017/05/04/daughters-american-revolution-celebrate-58/101301614/|work= [[The Daily Advertiser (Lafayette, Louisiana)|The Daily Advertiser]]|location= [[Lafeyette, Louisiana]]|access-date= April 24, 2024}}</ref> Young women in the Children of the American Revolution who are either eighteen years of age or a senior in high school may be presented as debutantes at the Virginia DAR State Conference in [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.vscar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/2022-Debutante-Presentation-Flier.pdf|title= Virginia DAR State Conference Debutantes |last= Forsythe|first= Anne-Cabrie|date= 2021|website= Virginia Children of the American Revolution|publisher= [[Children of the American Revolution]]|access-date= April 24, 2024}}</ref> Debutantes are also presented at the Georgia DAR State Conference.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.northwestgeorgianews.com/national-society-daughters-of-the-american-revolution-2008-debutante-neighbor/article_717184e2-c65a-5f5a-ac87-f57212dea3a2.html|title= National Society Daughters of the American Revolution: 2008 debutante|date= April 25, 2008|website= [[Rome News-Tribune]]|publisher= [[Marietta Daily Journal]]|access-date= April 25, 2024}}</ref>

== Diversity and inclusion ==
=== African Americans and DAR ===
In 1932, DAR adopted a rule excluding [[African American]] musicians from performing at [[DAR Constitution Hall]] in response to complaints by some members against "mixed seating", as both black and white people were attracted to concerts of black artists. In 1939, they denied permission for [[Marian Anderson]] to perform a concert. First Lady [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], a DAR member, resigned from the organization.
[[File:Jillian Patricia Pirtle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Jillian Patricia Pirtle]], soprano and CEO of the [[Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society]], performing at DAR Constitution Hall in 2023.]]
In her letter to the DAR, Roosevelt wrote, "I am in complete disagreement with the attitude taken in refusing Constitution Hall to a great artist...You had an opportunity to lead in an enlightened way and it seems to me that your organization has failed."  African-American author [[Zora Neale Hurston]] criticized Roosevelt's refusal to condemn the [[District of Columbia State Board of Education|Board of Education of Washington, D.C.]]'s simultaneous decision to exclude Anderson from singing at the [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] white [[Cardozo Education Campus#Marian Anderson controversy|Central High School]].  Hurston declared "to jump the people responsible for racial bias would be to accuse and expose the accusers themselves. The District of Columbia has no home rule; it is controlled by [[United States congressional committee|congressional committees]], and [[U.S. Congress|Congress]] at the time was overwhelmingly [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]. It was controlled by the very people who were screaming so loudly against the DAR. To my way of thinking, both places should have been denounced, or neither."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beito |first=David |title=Zora and Eleanor: Toward a Fuller Understanding of the First Lady's Civil Rights Legacy|url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=14736|journal=Independent Institute |date=November 15, 2023}}</ref>

As the controversy grew, American media overwhelmingly backed Anderson's right to sing. ''[[The Philadelphia Tribune]]'', an African American newspaper in [[Philadelphia]], wrote, "A group of tottering old ladies, who don't know the difference between patriotism and putridism, have compelled the gracious First Lady to apologize for their national rudeness." The ''[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]]'' wrote, "In these days of racial intolerance so crudely expressed in the Third Reich, an action such as the D.A.R.'s ban{{nbsp}}... seems all the more deplorable." At Eleanor Roosevelt's behest, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] and [[Walter Francis White|Walter White]], then-executive secretary of the [[NAACP]], and Anderson's manager, impresario [[Sol Hurok]] arranged an open-air concert on the steps of the [[Lincoln Memorial]] with a dignified and stirring rendition of "[[America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)]]". The event attracted a crowd of more than 75,000 in addition to a national radio audience of millions.<ref name="nararesignlet">{{cite web|date=February 26, 1939|title=Exhibit: Eleanor Roosevelt Letter|url=https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/eleanor.html|access-date=October 8, 2006|publisher=[[NARA]]}}</ref>

In 1952, DAR reversed its "white performers only" policy.<ref>[[Kennedy Center]], [http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3688&source_type=A "Biography of Marian Anderson"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106115838/http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/index.cfm?fuseaction=showIndividual&entitY_id=3688&source_type=A|date=January 6, 2008}}.</ref>
[[File:Lena Santos Ferguson Memorial.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Commemorative plaque honoring Lena Santos Ferguson at DAR Constitution Hall.]]
In 1977, [[Karen Batchelor Farmer]] (now Karen Batchelor) from [[Detroit]], was admitted to the Ezra Parker Chapter in [[Royal Oak, Michigan]] as the first known DAR [[African American]] member.<ref>[http://www.guilford.edu/academics/departments/african_american/history.html "Karen Farmer"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217141923/http://www.guilford.edu/academics/departments/african_american/history.html|date=December 17, 2009}}, ''American Libraries'' 39 (February 1978), p. 70; ''Negro Almanac,'' pp. 73, 1431; ''Who's Who among Africans,'' 14th ed., p. 405.</ref> Batchelor's admission as the first known African American member of DAR sparked international interest after it was featured in a story on page one of ''[[The New York Times]].''<ref>{{cite news|last=Stevens|first=William K.|date=December 28, 1977|title=A Detroit Black Woman's Roots Lead to a Welcome in the D.A.R.|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/28/archives/a-detroit-black-womans-roots-lead-to-a-welcome-in-the-dar-black.html}}</ref> In 1984, [[Lena Santos Ferguson|Lena Lorraine Santos Ferguson]], a retired school secretary, was denied membership in a [[Washington, D.C.]] chapter of the DAR because she was Black, according to a report by ''[[The Washington Post]]''.<ref name="wapokessler">{{cite news|last=Kessler|first=Ronald|date=March 12, 1984|title=Sponsors Claim Race Is Stumbling Block |page=1|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]  |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/03/12/sponsors-claim-race-is-stumbling-block/7b342ef5-d066-4b37-b7fa-a4598b52ec8c/}}</ref> Ferguson met the lineage requirements and could trace her ancestry to Jonah Gay, a white man who fought in Maine.<ref name="wapokessler" /> Sarah M. King, the President General of the DAR, told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' that DAR's chapters have autonomy in determining members,<ref name="wapokessler" /> saying "Being black is not the only reason why some people have not been accepted into chapters. There are other reasons: divorce, spite, neighbors' dislike. I would say being black is very far down the line....There are a lot of people who are troublemakers. You wouldn't want them in there because they could cause some problems."<ref name="wapokessler" /> After King's comments were reported in a page one story, outrage erupted, and the [[Council of the District of Columbia|City Council]] threatened to revoke the DAR's real estate tax exemption. King quickly qualified her comments, saying that Ferguson should have been admitted, and that her application had been handled "inappropriately". DAR changed its bylaws to bar discrimination "on the basis of race or creed." In addition, King announced a resolution to recognize "the heroic contributions of black patriots in the American Revolution."<ref>{{cite news|first=Ronald|last=Kessler|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1984/04/18/dar-chief-says-blacks-application-handled-inappropriately/f6bc0b72-4619-4ca9-8544-3c48ef3f2102/|title=DAR Chief Says Black's Application Handled 'Inappropriately'|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=April 18, 1984}}</ref>

Since the mid-1980s, the DAR has supported a project to identify African Americans, Native Americans, and individuals of mixed race who were patriots of the American Revolution, expanding their recognition beyond soldiers.<ref name="Forgotten Patriots">{{cite web|title=Forgotten Patriots|url=http://www.dar.org/library/forgotten-patriots|work=Daughters of the American Revolution}}</ref>

In 2004, [[Maria Williams-Cole]] and Arleathia Carter Williams became the first two African-American members of the DAR in [[Prince George's County, Maryland]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2004/04/08/names-in-the-news/5162649b-7f70-432c-9dc0-7c7204413936/|title= Names in the News|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= April 7, 2004|website= [[Washington Post]]|publisher= |access-date= October 20, 2024}}</ref>

In 2008, DAR published ''Forgotten Patriots: African-American and American Indian Patriots in the Revolutionary War.''<ref name="Forgotten Patriots Book" /><ref name="Forgotten Patriots" /> In 2007, the DAR posthumously honored [[Mary Hemings Bell]], an individual enslaved by [[Thomas Jefferson]], as a "Patriot of the Revolution." Because of Hemings Bell's declaration by the DAR to be a Patriot, all of her female descendants qualify for membership in the DAR.<ref name="autogenerated4">''American Spirit Magazine,'' Daughters of the American Revolution, January–February 2009, p. 4</ref>

In 2018, [[Reisha Raney]] became the first black woman elected to serve as a DAR state officer in Maryland.<ref name="georgia">{{cite web |date=2021 |title=Alumnae Elected To Prominent Positions In Historical Society |url=https://issuu.com/gtalumni/docs/vol96_no4_low_res/78 |access-date=October 8, 2024 |website=Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine, Vol. 96 No. 4 |publisher=[[Georgia Tech]]}}</ref> She previously served on the national level of the organization as the vice chairwoman of the membership committee division.<ref name= georgia/> Raney founded ''Daughter Dialogues'', a podcast documenting the narratives of black members of the DAR, which launched on July 1, 2021.<ref name= georgia/><ref>{{cite web |url= https://wjla.com/features/7news-mornings/daughter-dialogues-podcast-sharing-stories-of-black-women-with-colonial-descendants|title= 'Daughter Dialogues' podcast: sharing stories of Black women with colonial descendants|author=<!--Not stated--> |date= February 23, 2021|website= [[WJLA-TV]]|publisher= |access-date= October 8, 2024}}</ref> In September 2018, Sonja Addison, Stephannie Addison-Mudd, and Brooke Addison Moore became the first African-American members of the Fauquier Court House Chapter of the DAR in [[Fauquier County, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.fauquier.com/news/local-dar-chapter-inducts-its-first-african-american-members/article_bab28e34-b116-11e8-b8ae-aba6afcce7a2.html|title= Local DAR chapter inducts its first African-American members|last= Toler|first= John|date= September 5, 2018|website= [[Fauquier Times]] |publisher= |access-date= October 20, 2024}}</ref>

In June 2019, [[Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly]] became the first African American elected to the DAR National Board of Management when she was installed as New York State Regent.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Deepti|last=Hajela|title=Daughters of the American Revolution Welcomes First Black Woman, Wilhelmena Rhodes Kelly, to National Board |url=https://blackchristiannews.com/2019/06/daughters-of-the-american-revolution-welcomes-first-black-woman-wilhelmena-rhodes-kelly-to-national-board/|access-date=November 28, 2019|agency=[[Associated Press]]|website=Black Christian News Network One|date=June 29, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2022, [[Sheryl Sims]] became the first African-American woman to join the Nelly Custis Chapter of the DAR in [[Alexandria, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.vpm.org/2024-03-21/diversity-is-top-priority-for-new-dar-leadership|title= Diversity is top priority for new DAR leadership|last= McGibbon|first= Adrienne Hoar|date= March 21, 2024|website= [[WCVE-FM]]|publisher= |access-date= October 11, 2024}}</ref> In September 2022, [[Sharon Fort]] became the first African-American woman to join the DAR in Arkansas.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.txkmag.com/news/community-culture/texarkana-woman-welcomed-as-first-african-american-member-in-arkansas/|title= Texarkana Woman Welcomed As First African American DAR Member in Arkansas|last= Markely|first= Gale|date= 2022|website= Texarkana Magazine|publisher= |access-date= October 20, 2024}}</ref> In December 2022, DAR donated $150,000 to the [[Marian Anderson House|Marian Anderson Museum]] to help with restoration costs following flood damage to the building in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dar.org/national-society/media-center/news-releases/repairs-marian-anderson-museum-commence-150000-donation|title= Repairs to the Marian Anderson Museum to Commence with $150,000 Donation from DAR |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= December 20, 2022|website= Daughters of the American Revolution|access-date= October 8, 2024}}</ref>

In October 2023, [[Johnette Gordon-Weaver]] became the first African-American member of the [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg]] chapter of the DAR.<ref name= 13newsnow>{{cite web |url= https://www.13newsnow.com/article/news/local/virginia/williamsburg/williamsburg-woman-becomes-first-african-american-inductee-for-areas-chapter-of-daughters-of-american-revolution/291-cd36d2a6-6584-4bf1-9367-693d38158b83|title= Williamsburg woman becomes first African-American inductee for area's chapter of Daughters of American Revolution|last= Daniel|first= Eugene|date= October 3, 2024|website= [[13 News Now]]|publisher= |access-date= October 11, 2024}}</ref> Gordon Weaver is a descendant of Anthony Roberts, the first [[freedman|free]] African-American patriot recognized by the organization at the national level.<ref name= 13newsnow/>

In 2024, [[Regina Lynch-Hudson]] became the first woman of color to join the Greenlee Chapter of the DAR in [[Old Fort, North Carolina]], and the first black female descendent of Colonel [[John Hazzard Carson|John Carson]] to join the national society.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.blackmountainnews.com/story/news/2024/06/03/black-mountain-native-regina-lynch-hudson-makes-dar-history/73902353007/|title= Black Mountain native Regina Lynch-Hudson 1st Carson descendent of color inducted to DAR|last= Monk|first= Karrigan|date= June 3, 2024|website= [[Black Mountain News]]|publisher= |access-date= October 8, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2024/07/04/roswell-woman-color-finds-ancestral-roots-revolutionary-war/|title= Roswell woman of color finds ancestral roots in Revolutionary War|last= Spencer|first= Bridget|date= July 4, 2024|website= [[Atlanta News First]]|publisher= |access-date= October 8, 2024}}</ref>

=== Transgender women ===
In June 2023, at the 132nd DAR Continental Congress, the organization voted to add an amendment to their bylaws that states the chapters "may not discriminate against an eligible applicant based on race, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law." DAR spokesperson Bren Landon told ''[[Newsweek]]'' that the amendment "provides additional non-discrimination language" that protects the society's tax-exempt status. She also told Newsweek that "the new language does not change the criteria for membership," and that "DAR's longstanding membership policy remains unchanged since our founding in 1890."<ref name= newsweek>{{cite news |last= Zurick|first= Maura|date= July 26, 2023|title= Daughters of the American Revolution Members Quit Over Transgender Fears |url= https://www.newsweek.com/daughters-american-revolution-must-accept-transgender-members-1815641|work= [[Newsweek]]|location= [[Washington, D.C.]]|access-date= August 22, 2023}}</ref>

At Continental Congress, Jennifer Mease, a delegate and Regent of the Liberty Bell Chapter in [[Pennsylvania]], inquired whether chapters could vote against admitting a new member "whose birth certificate has been altered by their state to indicate they are female even though they were born a male." President General Wright responded to Mease's inquiry by stating "if a person's certified birth certificate states 'female,' they are eligible for membership, and your chapter cannot change that.. if their birth certificate says they are a female, and you vote against them based on their protected class, it's discrimination."<ref name="newsweek" /> In an official newsletter released after the congress, Wright wrote, "some have asked if this means a [[transgender woman]] can join DAR or if this means that DAR chapters have previously welcomed transgender women. The answer to both questions is, yes."<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/01/08/when-the-dar-said-trans-women-were-allowed-controversy-ensued/?fbclid=IwAR11M93zfMAUp_otBIFYszg46kqVTRj5UPaJEMGHaLElci2uSR3m06EFG8c| title = When the DAR Said Trans Women Were Allowed, Controversy Ensued| last = Spears| first = Hunter| date = January 8, 2024| website = [[Washingtonian (magazine)|Washingtonian]]| publisher = Catherine Merrill Williams| access-date = January 14, 2023}}</ref> A retired [[United States Air Force]] colonel, who is a transgender woman, joined the Daughters of the American Revolution in New Jersey in 2022.<ref name= thetimes>{{cite web |url= https://www.thetimes.com/world/article/historic-us-womens-group-daughters-american-revolution-trans-row-dd0gfr2p2|title= Historic US women’s group provokes anger by allowing trans members|last= McDonald-Gibson|first= Charlotte|date= March 14, 2024|website= [[The Times]]|publisher= |access-date= October 20, 2024}}</ref>

== Notable members ==
{{main|List of Daughters of the American Revolution members}}

Since its founding, many notable women have been members of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Six former [[First Lady of the United States|First Ladies of the United States]] were members of the DAR: [[Caroline Harrison]], [[Sarah Childress Polk]], [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], [[Rosalynn Carter]], [[Barbara Bush]], and [[Laura Bush]].<ref name="dardazzlingdaughters">{{cite web| title = Dazzling Daughters, 1890–2004| work = Americana Collection exhibit| publisher = DAR| url = http://www.dar.org/americana/currexhib.cfm| access-date = October 8, 2006 }}</ref> Two [[Second Lady of the United States|Second Ladies of the United States]] have also been members, [[Letitia Stevenson]] and [[Cornelia Cole Fairbanks]]. Other notable public figures and federal-level politicians include U.S. Senators [[Tammy Duckworth]], [[Elizabeth Dole]], and [[Margaret Chase Smith]], U.S. Congresswomen [[Alice Robertson]] and [[Katherine G. Langley]], U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security [[Kristi Noem]], and U.S. District Court judge [[Ada Brown (judge)|Ada Brown]].<ref>{{cite web |last= Chase|first= Benjamin|date= August 30, 2024|title= Noem inducted into DAR|url= https://www.plainsman.com/stories/noem-inducted-into-dar,95615|website= [[Plainsman (South Dakota)|Daily Plainsman]]|location= [[Huron, South Dakota]]|publisher= [[News Media Corporation]]|access-date= February 10, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| publisher=Walter Burdick Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR)| url=http://ildar.org/chapters/walterburdick/Gallery.html | title=Walter Burdick Chapter: Gallery| access-date=April 14, 2018}}</ref> Prominent state politicians and public officials have also been members of the DAR, including Kentucky Governor [[Martha Layne Collins]], Alabama Governor [[Kay Ivey]], and Arkansas Governor [[Sarah Huckabee Sanders]], Illinois state representative [[Sarah Bond Hanley]], West Virginia state representative [[Mary Martha Presley Merritt]], Washington state representative [[Gene Bradford]], Iowan first lady [[Anna Matilda Larrabee]], Kentucky Second Lady and Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner [[Heather French Henry]], Kentucky Treasurer and Secretary of State [[Emma Guy Cromwell]], and North Carolinian first ladies [[Mary McKinley Daves Ellis]], [[Fanny Yarborough Bickett]], [[Alice Willson Broughton]], [[Mildred Stafford Cherry]], [[Eleanor Kearny Carr]], and [[Margaret Gardner Hoey]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/hoey-margaret-elizabeth-gardner|title = Hoey, Margaret Elizabeth Gardner &#124; NCpedia}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qvMQAQAAMAAJ&dq=eleanor+kearney+carr&pg=PA68|title = Ancestral Register of the General Society, 1896|year = 1897}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Broughton, Alice Harper Willson {{!}} NCpedia|url=https://www.ncpedia.org/broughton-alice-harper-willson|access-date=2021-04-28|website=www.ncpedia.org}}</ref> Other notable DAR members include officers in the [[U.S. Armed Forces]], such as Brigadier General [[Wilma Vaught]], Rear Admiral [[Grace Hopper]], Rear Admiral [[Donna L. Crisp]], Colonel [[Westray Battle Long]], and Major [[Almyra Maynard Watson]], and prominent entertainers such as the actresses [[Ginger Rogers]], [[Lillian Gish]], and [[Bo Derek]] and the singer [[Rosanne Cash]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.dar.org/national-society/todays-daughters-0|title= Meet Our Members|author=<!--Not stated--> |website= [[Daughters of the American Revolution]]|publisher= Daughters of the American Revolution|access-date= September 1, 2023}}</ref><ref name="dardazzlingdaughters"/><ref>https://bittersoutherner.com/rosanne-cash-the-bitter-southerner-interview</ref>

==List of DAR presidents general==
The presidents general of the society have been:<ref>{{cite book |title=DAR Handbook and National Bylaws |date=2020 |location=Washington, D.C. |edition=33rd |page=34}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=National Society Daughters of the American Revolution |title=The Wide Blue Sash |date=2013 |publisher=National Society Daughters of the American Revolution |isbn=9781892237163|edition=2nd}}</ref>

<gallery>
File:Caroline_Harrison.jpg|Caroline Scott Harrison, First DAR President General
File:Southern Woman Named DAR President General.png|[[May Erwin Talmadge|Mrs. Julius Young Talmadge]] Named DAR President General
File:Dillon Silver Arrow.jpg|Silver Arrow, the symbol of the Dillon administration in the form of a pin.
</gallery>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ 
|-
! Number !! President General !! Years in office !! State of membership 
|-
|style="width: 1em;" | 1
|style="width: 28em;" | [[Caroline Scott Harrison]],  ([[Benjamin Harrison|Mrs. Benjamin]]) ||style="width: 18em;" | 1890–1892, <small>Died in office</small> ||style="width: 6em;" | Indiana 
|-
| 1.5 || [[Mary Virginia Ellet Cabell]], (Mrs. William D.) || 1892–1893,  <small>Vice President Presiding</small> || Virginia 
|-
| 2 || [[Letitia Green Stevenson]], ([[Adlai Stevenson I|Mrs. Adlai E.]]) || 1893–1895 || Illinois 
|-
| 3 || [[Mary Parke McFerson Foster]], ([[John W. Foster|Mrs. John W.]]) || 1895–1896 || Indiana 
|-
| 4 || [[Letitia Green Stevenson]], ([[Adlai Stevenson I|Mrs. Adlai E.]]) || 1896–1898 || Illinois 
|-
| 5 || [[Mary Margaretta Fryer Manning]], ([[Daniel Manning|Mrs. Daniel]]) || 1898–1899, & 1899–1901 || New York 
|-
| 6 || [[Cornelia Cole Fairbanks]], ([[Charles W. Fairbanks|Mrs. Charles W.]]) || 1901–1903 & 1903–1905 || Indiana 
|-
| 7 || [[Emily Nelson Ritchie McLean]], (Mrs. Donald) || 1905–1907 & 1907–1909 || New York 
|-
| 8 || [[Julia Green Scott]], ([[Matthew T. Scott|Mrs. Matthew T.]]) || 1909–1911 & 1911–1913 || Illinois 
|-
| 9 || [[Daisy Allen Story]], (Mrs. William Cumming) || 1913–1915 & 1915–1917 || New York 
|-
| 10 || [[Sarah Elizabeth Mitchell Guernsey]], (Mrs. George Thatcher) || 1917–1920 || Kansas 
|-
| 11 || [[Anne Rogers Minor|Anne Belle Rogers Minor]], (Mrs. George Maynard) || 1920–1923 || Connecticut 
|-
| 12 || [[Lora Haines Cook]], (Mrs. Anthony Wayne) || 1923–1926 || Pennsylvania 
|-
| 13 || [[Grace Lincoln Hall Brosseau|Grace Lincoln Brosseau]], (Mrs. Hall) || 1926–1929 || Connecticut 
|-
| 14 || [[Edith Irwin Hobart]], (Mrs. Lowell Fletcher) || 1929–1932 || Ohio 
|-
| 15 || [[Edith Scott Magna]], (Mrs. Russell William) || 1932–1935 || Massachusetts 
|-
| 16 || [[Florence Hague Becker]], (Mrs. William A.) || 1935–1938 || New Jersey 
|-
| 17 || [[Sarah Corbin Robert]], (Mrs. Henry Martyn Jr.) || 1938–1941 || Maryland 
|-
| 18 || [[Helena R Hellwig Pouch|Helena R. Pouch]], (Mrs. William H.) || 1941–1944 || New York 
|-
| 19 || [[May Erwin Talmadge]], (Mrs. Julius Young) || 1944–1947 || Georgia 
|-
| 20 || Estella A. O'Byrne, (Mrs. Roscoe C.) || 1947–1950 || Indiana 
|-
| 21 || Marguerite Courtright Patton, (Mrs. James B.) || 1950–1953 || Ohio 
|-
| 22 || [[Gertrude Sprague Carraway]] || 1953–1956 || North Carolina 
|-
| 23 || Allene Wilson Groves, (Mrs. Frederic A.) || 1956–1959 || Missouri 
|-
| 24 || [[Doris Pike White]], (Mrs. Ashmead) || 1959–1962 || Maine 
|-
| 25 || [[Marion Moncure Duncan]], (Mrs. Robert V. H.) || 1962–1965 || Virginia 
|-
| 26 || [[Adele Woodhouse Erb Sullivan]], (Mrs. William Henry Jr.) || 1965–1968 || New York 
|-
| 27 || [[Betty Newkirk Seimes]], (Mrs. Erwin Frees) || 1968–1971 || Delaware 
|-
| 28 || Eleanor Washington Spicer, (Mrs. Donald) || 1971–1974 || California 
|-
| 29 || Sara Roddis Jones, (Mrs. Henry Stewart) || 1974–1975 || Wisconsin 
|-
| 30 || Jane Farwell Smith, (Mrs. Wakelee Rawson) || 1975–1977 || Illinois 
|-
| 31 || Jeannette Osborn Baylies, (Mrs. George Upham) || 1977–1980 || New York 
|-
| 32 || Patricia Walton Shelby, (Mrs. Richard Denny) || 1980–1983 || Mississippi 
|-
| 33 || Sarah McKelley King, (Mrs. Walter Hughey) || 1983–1986 || Tennessee 
|-
| 34 || Ann Davison Duffie Fleck, (Mrs. Raymond Franklin) || 1986–1989 || Massachusetts 
|-
| 35 || [[Marie Hirst Yochim]], (Mrs. Eldred Martin) || 1989–1992 || Virginia 
|-
| 36 || Wayne Garrison Blair, (Mrs. Donald Shattuck) || 1992–1995 || Ohio 
|-
| 37 || [[Dorla Eaton Kemper]], (Mrs. Charles Keil) || 1995–1998 || California 
|-
| 38 || Georgane Ferguson Love (Easley), (Mrs. Dale Kelly) || 1998–2001 || Mississippi 
|-
| 39 || Linda Tinker Watkins* || 2001–2004 || Tennessee 
|-
| 40 || [[Presley Merritt Wagoner]]|| 2004–2007 || West Virginia 
|-
| 41 || [[Linda Gist Calvin]]|| 2007–2010 || California 
|-
| 42 || [[Merry Ann T. Wright]]|| 2010–2013 || New York 
|-
| 43 || [[Lynn Forney Young]] || 2013–2016 || Texas 
|-
| 44 || [[Ann Turner Dillon]] || 2016–2019 || Colorado 
|-
| 45 || [[Denise Doring VanBuren]] || 2019–2022 || New York 
|-
| 46 || [[Pamela Rouse Wright]]|| 2022–2025 || Texas 
|}

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Note: During the Watkins administration, the President General and other National Officers began to be referred to by their own first names, rather than their husbands'.

==Honors==
[[File:Hale_Yale_plaque.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Yale Club plaque]]
A memorial to the Daughters of the American Revolution's four founders at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated on April 17, 1929. It was sculpted by [[Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney]], a DAR member.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dar.org/archives/four-founders|title=Founders Memorial|work=Daughters of the American Revolution|access-date=October 31, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0000930.htm|title=Daughters of the American Revolution, Founders statue at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney located in James M. Goode's Foggy Bottom area|access-date=November 15, 2014|archive-date=October 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141031154828/http://www.dcmemorials.com/index_indiv0000930.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== In popular culture ==
In 1932, American artist [[Grant Wood]] painted the satirical painting ''[[Daughters of Revolution]]'' after a local chapter of the DAR complained about his use of German glass in a commission he created for a veterans memorial.<ref name=Phoenix>{{cite news|title=Review: It's no joke: Grant Wood is truly a great artist |url=http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/113884-review-its-no-joke-grant-wood-is-truly-a-great-/#ixzz2HMJHjm1c |accessdate=8 January 2013 |newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|The Phoenix]] |location=Boston |date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220110605/http://thephoenix.com/boston/news/113884-review-its-no-joke-grant-wood-is-truly-a-great-/ |archivedate=20 December 2013 }}</ref>

In the American comedy-drama television series ''[[Gilmore Girls]]'', the character [[Emily Gilmore]] (portrayed by [[Kelly Bishop]]) is a regent of a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her granddaughter, [[Rory Gilmore]] (portrayed by [[Alexis Bledel]]), is presented to society at a DAR debutante ball and later joins the organization.<ref>https://screenrant.com/gilmore-girls-real-daughters-america-revolution-famous-members/</ref> In the show's 2016 revival, ''[[Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life]]'', Emily Gilmore resigns from the DAR.<ref name=":30">{{Cite web|url=https://theweek.com/articles/664566/decline-fall-gilmore-girls|title=The decline and fall of the Gilmore girls|last=Loofbourow|first=Lili|date=December 1, 2016|website=The Week|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821045129/http://theweek.com/articles/664566/decline-fall-gilmore-girls|archive-date=2017-08-21|url-status=live|access-date=August 20, 2017}}</ref>

In the American medical drama television series ''[[Grey's Anatomy]]'', the character [[Miranda Bailey]] (portrayed by [[Chandra Wilson]]) mentions in the [[Grey's Anatomy season 3|third season]] episode ''Scars and Souvenirs'' that she received a DAR scholarship in her youth. In the [[The West Wing season 4|fourth season]] of the American political drama television series ''[[The West Wing]]'', in the episode ''Privateers'', First Lady [[Abbey Bartlet]] (portrayed by [[Stockard Channing]]) is questioned on the validity of her DAR membership by another member.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190403233226/http://westwingepguide.com/S4/S4Awards.html</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Society}}
*[[Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America|The Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America]]
*[[Children of the American Revolution]]
*[[National Society Daughters of the American Colonists]]
*[[Colonial Dames of America]]
*[[The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America]]
*[[National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century]]
*[[Old Stock Americans]]
*[[Society of the Cincinnati]]
*[[Sons of the American Revolution]]
*[[Sons of the Revolution]]
*[[Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War]]
*[[United Empire Loyalist|The United Empire Loyalists Association of Canada]]
*[[United States Daughters of 1812]]
<!-- *[[The National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America]] -->

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{NARA}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last=National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution |author-link=Sons of the American Revolution |year=1991 |title=Centennial History of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, 1889–1989 |publisher=Turner Publishing Company |location=Nashville, Tennessee |isbn=9781563110283 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0SHHzcZnVwEC}}

==Further reading==
; Independent accounts
*[[Peggy Anderson (author)|Anderson, Peggy]]. ''The Daughters'' (1972)
*Bailey, Diana L. ''American Treasure: The Enduring Spirit of the DAR'', Walsworth Publishing Company (2007)
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=421zwtw_OaAC&q=%27%27The+D.A.R.:+An+Informal+History.%27%27+1958 Julie Des Jardins, ''Women and the Historical Enterprise in America: Gender, Race, and the Politics of Memory, 1880–1945''], University of North Carolina Press (2003)
*Strayer, Martha. ''The D.A.R.: An Informal History'', Washington, DC. Public Affairs Press (1958) (critically reviewed by Gilbert Steiner as covering personalities but not politics, Review, ''The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science'', v.320, "Highway Safety and Traffic Control" (Nov. 1958), pp.&nbsp;148–149.)
* Wendt, Simon. ''The Daughters of the American Revolution and Patriotic Memory in the Twentieth Century'' (U Press of Florida, 2020) [http://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=56092 online review]
*[[Sara Wallace Goodman]] (2020) "[[doi:10.1080/1369183X.2020.1785852|'Good American citizens': a text-as-data analysis of citizenship manuals for immigrants, 1921–1996.]]" ''Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies''

; DAR-related 
*Hunter, Ann Arnold. ''A Century of Service: The Story of the DAR.'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (1991). 
*Simkovich, Patricia Joy. ''Indomitable Spirit: The Life of Ellen Hardin Walworth,'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution  (2001). (The life story of [[Ellen Hardin Walworth]], one of the NSDAR founders.)
*''125 Years of Devotion to America,'' Washington, DC: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.  DAR publication that includes reflections, prayers and ceremonial excerpts to capture material about the DAR and its members' service.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[https://www.dar.org/ Official website]

{{Woman's club movement}}
{{American Revolutionary War}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Daughters Of The American Revolution}}
[[Category:Daughters of the American Revolution| ]]
[[Category:1890 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American nationalism]]
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