Juliette Gordon Low

Early Years

Juliette Gordon Low was born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon on October 31, 1860 in Savannah, Georgia. She was the second of six children born to William Washington Gordon II and Eleanor Kinzie Gordon.

Her father's family was one of the early settlers in Georgia. Her grandfather had been the first president of the Central of Georgia Railway and Banking Company. Her mother's family played an important part in the founding of Chicago, IL.

Like any child born into a rich family during that time, "Daisy" as she was known to close friends and family, attended boarding school. She first attended the Virginia Female Institute in Staunton, Virginia and then Mesdemoiselles Charbonniers, a French finishing school in New York City. Juliette excelled in the arts and loved to write poetry. She was known to be a little aimless and seldom finished anything.

Daisy had been plagued with ear infections as a child, and at the age of 25, an ear infection was treated with silver nitrate which caused her to lose a great deal of hearing in that ear.


Marriage
After school, Juliette began traveling extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. On one trip between Savannah and England, she met William "Willy" Mackay Low, son of Andrew Low, a wealthy cotton broker in Savannah. They fell in love and secretly planned their wedding.

At noon on March 21, 1886, Juliette Gordon married William Low at Christ Church in Savannah. Juliette thought the date to be good luck as it was her parents' 29th wedding anniversary.

At the wedding, a well-wisher threw rice at the couple for good luck. Unfortunately for Juliette, one of the grains of rice became lodged in her good ear. When a doctor removed it, he punctured her ear drum, causing an infection and eventually complete deafness in that ear.

The newlyweds set up their household in the groom's family home, the Andrew Low house. Andrew Low had died a year before the marriage and left the home and his estate to William. The couple lasted a year in Savannah a year before the groom became restless for the British Isles. He purchased a country estate in Wellesbourne, Warwickshire. Juliette Gordon Low adapted well to the life of English gentry.

The couple had no children and within a few years of marriage, Willy began taking long trips without Juliette. He eventually met another woman, and in 1902, asked Juliette for a divorce. But, the divorce was not final before Willy died in 1905. Unbeknownst to Juliette, Willy had changed his will to leave everything to his mistress and only a small annual allowance to Juliette. Juliette contested the will, and after many years of litigation, eventually won a settlement of $500,000 plus William's Georgia properties, including the Andrew Low house on Lafayette Square in Savannah. Juliette also maintained a residence in London.

After 50
Juliette Gordon Low resumed her travels and in 1911, she met Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts and it's sister organization, the Girl Guides. He and friends convinced Juliette to get the Girl Guides organized in the United States.

Juliette returned to Savannah, and at the age of 51, on March 12, 1912, she had the first meeting of the Girl Guides in the United States. The early organization was slow to move forward and Juliette used much of her own fortune to provide financial support. The Girl Guides became the Girl Scouts in 1915 when the group incorporated. Juliette became the first president, holding that office for five years.

In 1923 Juliette Gordon Low was diagnosed with breast cancer and on January 17th, 1927, she died in the Andrew Low house. She was interred with her parents and buried in her Girl Scout uniform.