Julia Cobb Crowell

Julia Cobb Crowell (June 27, 1877 – January 16, 1957),^[1] known socially as Mrs. Benedict Crowell, was a clubwoman in Cleveland, Ohio, and an early leader of Girl Scouting in the United States. She was married to military officer and politician Benedict Crowell.

Julia Cobb Crowell
Julia Cobb Crowell, from a 1918 publication
Born	Julia Root Cobb June 27, 1877 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	January 16, 1957 (aged 79) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Civic leader
Spouse	Benedict Crowell

Early life

Julia Root Cobb was from Cleveland, the daughter of Lester Ahira Cobb and Anna W. Root Cobb. Her father was a businessman and banker; her grandfather was Ahira Cobb, a prominent Ohio shipbuilder.^[2] She was educated at Miss Mittleberger's School for Girls in Ohio, and at Miss Hersey's School in Boston.^[3]

Career

 

Mrs. Harding, General Pershing, Mrs. Benedict Crowell, at a 1921 gathering of Girl Scouts in Washington, D.C., from the Library of Congress

Crowell was active in Girl Scouting during and after World War I. While living in Washington, D.C. in 1920, she was the Commissioner of Girl Scouts in the District of Columbia, and an arts patron.^[4]

After the war, the Crowells moved back to Cleveland,^[5] where Julia Crowell founded the city's Girl Scout Council and was its first commissioner.^[6] In 1923 she and other Scouting leaders were sued for slander by a troop leader.^[7] She served on the national board of Girl Scouts in 1927 and 1928.^[8][9] Camp Julia Crowell was a 248-acre Girl Scout camp in Ohio, opened in 1937.^[3][10][11]

Crowell served on the founding board of trustees of the Maternal Health Association of Cleveland,^[12] and supported the city's children's hospital.^[13]

Personal life and legacy

Julia Cobb married chemical engineer and banker Benedict Crowell in 1904. They had two children, Florence (1908–1982) and Benedict (1912–1966).^[14] She was widowed when her husband died in 1952; she died in 1957, aged 79 years.^[15] Her grave is with her husband's at Arlington National Cemetery.^[16] The Benedict Crowell Papers at the Western Reserve Historical Society include some of her papers.^[17]

References

1. These are the dates given on her Report of Interment at Arlington National Cemetery, via Ancestry.
2. Avery, Elroy McKendree (1918). Biography. Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 52–54.
3. Camp Julia Crowell named for first commissioner of Cleveland Girl Scouts" Friends of Crowell Hilaka.
4. "Society". Evening Star. 1918-04-30. p. 8. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Untitled social item". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1921-02-27. p. 52. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "GIRL SCOUTS". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
7. "Wives of Former Cabinet Officers Sued for Slander". Buffalo Morning Express and Illustrated Buffalo Express. 1923-04-08. p. 41. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Girl Scouts Elect Officers for Year". The Akron Beacon Journal. 1927-09-29. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Many Councils Represented in Scout Meeting". The Dayton Herald. 1928-04-19. p. 30. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Girl Scout Camp Opens 1st Session". Call and Post. July 4, 1953. p. 6. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
11. Lucia Johnson Bing (1938). Social Work in Greater Cleveland: How Public and Private Agencies are Serving Human Needs. Inc American Printing House for the Blind. Welfare Federation of Cleveland. p. 147 – via Internet Archive.
12. Meyer, Jimmy Elaine Wilkinson (2004). Any Friend of the Movement: Networking for Birth Control, 1920-1940. Ohio State University Press. p. 70. ISBN 978-0-8142-0954-7.
13. "Untitled social item". The Cincinnati Enquirer. 1921-01-16. p. 35. Retrieved 2021-07-13 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Husband's Work is Wife's Too, Says She". Hammond Times. April 15, 1918. p. 8. Retrieved July 13, 2021 – via Hoosier State Chronicles.
15. "CROWELL, BENEDICT". Encyclopedia of Cleveland History | Case Western Reserve University. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
16. "Benedict Crowell, Brigadier General, United States Army". Arlington Cemetery. Retrieved 2021-07-13.
17. "Finding aid for the Benedict Crowell Papers". Western Reserve Historical Society. Retrieved 2021-07-13.