Georgia Historical Society

Known as “Daisy” to her friends and family, Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon Low was born in Savannah, Georgia on October 31, 1860.  Low was born into a family of great influence and wealth on both her mother and father’s side. Juliette Gordon Low grew up in the typical fashion of an elite southern family. As a young teenager Low attended boarding school at the Virginia Female Institute in Staunton, VA (now Stuart Hall, Edge Hill School outside Charlottesville, VA, Miss Emmett's school in Morristown, NJ and then Mesdemoiselles Charbonniers, a French finishing school in New York City.

Although her upbringing was typical of a girl of her station, typical is not the phrase those who knew Juliette Gordon Low use to describe her. Her brother Arthur summed his sister up well, calling her a brilliant eccentric. Low had a great love for pets, especially for exotic birds and could often be seen with one perched on her shoulder. From childhood on Juliette Gordon Low was very athletic. One of her favorite skills was standing on her head which she would famously do later at the National Headquarters of the Girl Scouts to show off the new uniform shoes. Low also struggled with deafness caused by mistreatment of chronic ear infections and an accident in 1886.

Juliette Gordon Low was married to William Mackay Low, a wealthy Englishman, on December 21, 1886 at the age of 26. Juliette and William had no children and spent much of their time apart. In 1902 William Mackay Low left Juliette for another woman and entered into divorce proceedings still underway at the time of his sudden death in 1905. William left most of his estate to his mistress, but Juliette Gordon Low successfully contested the will winning a large settlement, including William’s property in Georgia.

The next important phase in Juliette’s life began in the Summer of 1911 when Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, asked Low to aid in the fledgling Girl Guides movement in Great Britain. Juliette Gordon Low personally invited the girls living near her Scotland estate to join in weekly meetings. Low started more Girl Guide companies in London before leaving for returning to Savannah in 1912 to start the Girl Guides movement in the United States. On March 12, 1912 the original 18 girls registered as the first troop of American Girl Guides. A year later the Girl Guides name was officially changed to Girl Scouts.

 

Low spent the next 14 years of her life devoting her energy, enthusiasm, and wealth to the Girl Scout cause in the United States and around the world. On January 17, 1927 Juliette Gordon Low lost a battle with cancer and died at her Lafayette Square home in Savannah.  By the time of her death the Girl Scout movement had grown from the original 18 girls to 168,000 members. Low was buried in Laurel Grove cemetery wearing her Girl Scout uniform. Tucked in her pocket was a telegram from the national officers of the Girl Scouts USA that read, “You are not only the first Girl Scout, but the best Girl Scout of them all.”

These 2012 Georgia History Festival education materials sponsored by