Daniel C. Beard (1850 to 1941)
Daniel C. Beard (1850 to 1941), a Cincinnati native, was best known as one of the founders of the Boy Scouts of America. Before receiving his nickname of ‘Uncle Dan,’ Beard started his career as a civil engineer, working throughout the Cincinnati area. In 1878, his family relocated to New York City where he attended the Art Student’s League, and soon found work illustrating books for Mark Twain and Ernest Howard Crosby.
In 1905, Beard assumed editorship of Recreation, a periodical advocating wildlife conservation. During this time he also founded the Sons of Daniel Boone, an organization that promoted outdoor recreation based on American frontier traditions. In 1908 in England, Sir Robert Baden-Powell had created a fast growing movement called Boy Scouts. Intrigued, Beard decided to merge his Sons of Daniel Boone with the philosophies of Baden-Powell’s Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America was formed in 1910. Beard became one of the first National Scout Commissioners of the Boy Scouts and served the organization for 30 years. He maintained a lifelong interest in the outdoors and native Americana.