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Daniel Carter Beard

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Daniel Carter Beard
Born(1850-06-21)June 21, 1850
Cincinnati, Ohio,US
DiedJune 11, 1941(1941-06-11)(aged 90)
Suffern, New York,US
Resting placeBrick Church Cemetery
Spring Valley, New York,US[1]
Other namesUncle Dan
Occupations
  • Illustrator
  • author
  • social reformer
Known forFounding pioneer of theBoy Scouts of America
Awards
Signature

Daniel Carter"Uncle Dan"Beard(June 21, 1850 – June 11, 1941) was an American illustrator, author, youth leader,Georgistand social reformer who founded theSons of Daniel Boonein 1905, which Beard later merged with theBoy Scouts of America(BSA).

Early life

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Beard was born inCincinnati,Ohio, into a family of artists.[3]As a youth inPainesville,[4]he explored the woods and made sketches of nature. His father was the artistJames Henry Beardand his mother was Mary Caroline (Carter) Beard. His uncle was the artistWilliam Holbrook Beard.He lived at322 East Third StreetinCovington, Kentuckynear theLicking River,where he learned the stories ofKentuckypioneer life.[citation needed]

He started an early career as an engineer and surveyor.[5]He attended art school in New York City. He wrote a series of articles forSt. Nicholas Magazinethat later formed the basis forThe American Boy's Handy Book.He was a member of the Student Art League, where he met and befriendedErnest Thompson Setonin 1883. He illustrated a number of books forMark Twain,and for other authors such asErnest Crosby.

In 1886, Daniel Carter Beard joinedHenry George'sSingle-tax movementand became a strong advocate of the Georgist philosophy. He wrote several novels about the subject (such asMoonblight and Six Feet of Romance).[6] WithMark Twain's approval, Beard's illustrations forA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Courtwere a Georgist interpretation of the story.[7]

In 1908 while living inRedding, Connecticut,Beard was among those on hand to welcomeMark Twainupon his arrival to the author's new villaStormfield.[8]

Beard became the editor ofRecreationmagazine launched by his friendGeorge O. Shieldsand wrote a monthly column for youth. He founded theSons of Daniel Boonein 1905, basing it on American frontier traditions. He later moved his column toWoman's Home Companion.After conflicts with a new editor, he moved to thePictorial Review.SinceWomen's Home Companionretained the rights to the name, he simply renamed the organization toBoy Pioneers of America.[9]

Beard was a longstanding and influential member of theCamp-Fire Club of America.[10]

Scouting

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Beard (right) with Scouting founderRobert Baden-Powell(seated) andErnest Thompson Seton(left)

Beard merged his organization into theBoy Scouts of Americawhen it was founded in 1910. Beard became one of the firstNational Scout commissionersof the Boy Scouts and served it for 30 years. He later became the editor ofBoys' Lifemagazine, the BSA official magazine, and wrote a monthly column for youth. The work of both Beard andErnest Thompson Setonare in large part the basis of theTraditional Scoutingmovement.[11][12]

Beard also helped his sister organize theCamp Fire Girls.Beard was aFreemason,initiated in the Mariners Lodge No. 67 (New York City).[13][14]An award for Masonic Scouters has been named in his honor.

Beard founded Boy Scout Troop 1 inFlushing, New York,which is believed to be one of theoldest continuously chartered Boy Scout Troopsin the United States. He became anEagle Scoutat the age of 64 on February 15, 1915.[15]

Daniel Beard in later life, with Boy Scouts

Prior to the establishment of theDistinguished Eagle Scout Award,Dan Beard was recipient of the only "gold Eagle badge" awarded at the Second National Training Conference of Scout Executives held in 1922 in Blue Ridge, North Carolina.[3]

Dan Beard was also involved with theCulver Academies' summer camp program for many years, which used his "Sons of Daniel Boone" program. This program still exists as the Academy's Culver Woodcraft Camp.

Beard died on June 11, 1941, at age 90, at his homeBrooklandsinSuffern, New York.[16]He was buried near his home at the Brick Church Cemetery inSpring Valley, New York.[17]The National Program Director of the Boy Scouts of America,E. Urner Goodman,was selected to be in charge of the beloved youth leader's funeral in Suffern. An estimated 2,000 people lined the funeral route to the cemetery inMonsey, New York,where 127 Boy Scouts formed an honor guard and assisted with traffic control.[18]

Honors and legacy

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TheDaniel Carter Beard BridgecarriesI-471across theOhio River.[19]A life-size bronze statue of Daniel Carter Beard and a Boy Scout, created by world-renowned sculptor Kenneth Bradford, stands at 322 East 3rd Street inCovington, Kentucky,Beard's boyhood home. The nearbyDaniel Carter Beard Boyhood Homeis now aNational Historic Landmarkin theRiverside Drive Historic District.[20]

Junior High School 189 Daniel Carter Beard is located inFlushing, Queens,New York; the Daniel Carter Beard Mall is a nearby park. The Daniel Carter Beard Elementary School is located in Chicago, Illinois.

TheDan Beard Councilis the administrative body of the BSA in the Greater Cincinnati area.[21]

Many Scout camps have sites named after Beard:

Other camps have programs named after Beard, such as the first-year camper program atMcKee Scout Reservationin Kentucky.

The Forest Preserves of Cook County, Illinois, has long had a campground calledCamp Dan Beard.

Freemasonsin the U.S. offer the Daniel Carter Beard Masonic Scouter Award for Masons who are involved with Scouting. The BSA offers theJames E. West Fellowship Award;an advanced level is the 1910 Society which in turn includes levels of contributions—the Daniel Carter Beard is recognized for a gift of at least $100,000.

Mount Dan Beard,a 10,082-foot (3,073 m) peak in theAlaska RangenearDenaliinDenali National Park and Preserve,is named after Beard.[22]

Every year on February 8, in commemoration ofFounders Day,local Scouts place a wreath on Beard's grave at theBrick Church Cemetery.[23]

Works

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Captain Jinks, Hero,from the 1902 book of the same name byErnest Crosby,illustrated by Beard
Beard's frontispiece forTwain'sA Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
  • The American Boy's Handy Book.1882.
  • Beard, Daniel Carter (1892).Moonblight and Six Feet of Romance.
  • The Outdoor Handy Book.1896.
  • The Jack of All Trades: New Ideas for American Boys.1900.
  • The Field and Forest Handy Book: New Ideas for Out of Doors.1906.
  • Handicraft for Outdoor Boys.1906.
  • Animal Book and Campfire Stories.1907.
  • The Boy Pioneers: Sons of Daniel Boone.1909.
  • Boat Building, and Boating.1912.
  • Shelters, shacks, and shanties.C. Scribner's Sons. 1920.still in print[24]
  • The American Boy's Book of Bugs, Butterflies and Beetles.1915.
  • The American Boy's Book of Signs, Signals and Symbols.1918.[25]
  • The American Boy's Book of Camp-Lore and Woodcraft.1920.
  • The American Boy's Book of Wild Animals.1921.
  • The Black Wolf-Pack.1922.[26]
  • American Boy's Book of Birds and Brownies of the Woods.1923.
  • Do It Yourself.1925.
  • Wisdom of the Woods.1926.
  • Buckskin Book For Buckskin Men and Boys.1929.
  • Hardly A Man is Now Alive.1939.

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Visit Brick Church".
  2. ^White, James Terry; Derby, George (1930)."Beard, Daniel Carter".The National Cyclopædia of American Biography.33.New York: J. T. White: 373–374.
  3. ^abRowan, Edward L. (2005).To Do My Best: James E. West and the History of the Boy Scouts of America.Las Vegas International Scouting Museum.ISBN0-9746479-1-8.
  4. ^"15-43 Daniel Carter Beard".Remarkable Ohio: The Ohio Historical Marker Program.Ohio History Connection.2001.
  5. ^"Daniel C. Beard".Ohio History Central.RetrievedAugust 20,2010.
  6. ^"Moonblight and Six Feet of Romance: Dan Carter Beard's Foray into Fiction".
  7. ^LeMaster, J. R. (1903).The Mark Twain Encyclopedia.Taylor & Francis. pp. 64–65.ISBN9780824072124.
  8. ^Beard, Dan (January–June 1910)."Mark Twain as a Neighbor".Review of Reviews and World's Work: An International Magazine.Vol. 41. Review of Reviews Corporation. pp. 705–708.
  9. ^Scott, David C. (June 2006). "Ernest Thompson Seton and BSA - The Partnership Collapse of 1915".International Scouting Collectors Association.6(2): 10.
  10. ^Noble, Christian."Camp-Fire Club of America Hallowed Ground".Master Woodsman.RetrievedFebruary 27,2023.
  11. ^"Traditional Scouting".American Traditional Scouting.RetrievedJuly 18,2007.
  12. ^Rowan, Edward L. (December 2006). "Dan Beard, Founder of the First Boy Scout Society".International Scouting Collectors Association.6(4): 28–29.
  13. ^"List of famous freemasons".freemasonry.bcy.ca.Archivedfrom the original on October 4, 2001.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.East Nashville No. 560, TN [19]
  14. ^"Famous Freemasons in the course of history".stjohnslodgedc.org.Archivedfrom the original on November 16, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
  15. ^"Online Eagle Directory: Beard, Daniel Carter".National Eagle Scout Association.Archived fromthe originalon July 27, 2011.RetrievedDecember 3,2009.
  16. ^June 12, 1941, New York Herald Tribune
  17. ^Brick Church Cemetery aka Reformed Church Cemetery, Beard Family Plot - (Section D, Division 1, Plot 1, Grave 6),221 Brick Church Rd (Brick Church Rd and Hwy 306), Spring Valley NY 10977, 845-354-6785
  18. ^"Scouts Officiate at Beard Funeral"(PDF).The New York Times.June 16, 1941.RetrievedJanuary 15,2008.
  19. ^"Bridge to open".Kentucky New Era.October 28, 1976. p. 8.RetrievedApril 21,2016.
  20. ^"Beard, Daniel C., Boyhood Home".National Historic Landmarks.National Park Service. Archived fromthe originalon June 3, 2010.RetrievedJuly 18,2007.
  21. ^"Dan Beard Council".Archived fromthe originalon March 21, 2011.RetrievedApril 21,2011.
  22. ^"Mount Dan Beard".Geographic Names Information System.United States Geological Survey,United States Department of the Interior.RetrievedApril 12,2013.
  23. ^Rubin, Andrea (June 11, 1998)."Boy Scout co-founder will be remembered with a memorial plaque".Mount Vernon Argus.White Plains. p. 12.
  24. ^Shelters, Shacks and ShantiesatProject Gutenberg
  25. ^American boys' book of signs, signals and symbols.
  26. ^The Black Wolf PackatProject Gutenberg
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