Julia Green Scott (February 14, 1839 – April 29, 1923) was an American socialite, philanthropist, businesswoman, and landowner who served as the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution from 1909 to 1913. She was one of the largest landowners in the American Midwest, running multiple farms and owning tens of thousands of acres of land. After her husband, Matthew T. Scott, died in 1891, Scott took over as the largest shareholder and president of the McLean County Coal Company. She was presented the Medal of French Gratitude of the First Class in 1921 by Jean Jules Jusserand for her efforts to rehabilitate the French commune Tilloloy after World War I, and for helping find homes for over 4,000 French children left orphaned by the war.
Scott met her future husband, businessman Matthew T. Scott, while he was a student at Centre College and while her father served as the college's president.[1] They married on May 12, 1859, and moved to the prairie in Central Illinois.[1][2] They were among the first residents, and founders, of the town of Chenoa.[1] She and her husband eventually owned over 45,000 acres of land in Illinois, Iowa, and Tennessee.[1]
Scott's house in Chenoa
In 1870 Scott and her husband moved to Springfield.[1] After a short time there, they moved to Bloomington, where her husband became the president of the McLean County Coal Company and founded the Democratic newspaper The Bulletin.[1] In 1872 they purchased a mansion at 701 E. Taylor Street.[1][3]
Scott and her husband had three children: Lewis, Letitia and Julia.[1]
After her husband died in 1891, Scott took charge of managing 9,000 acres of farmland in Illinois and Indiana, and became the principal stockholder and president of the McLean County Coal Company.[1] Between 1900 and 1901, Scott had additions built onto the family home on Taylor Street, including two new porches and interior additions designed by the architect Arthur L. Pillsbury.[1]
Scott maintained a spring residence in Washington, D.C., a summer residence in Charlevoix, a fall residence in Bloomington, and a winter residence in Mississippi.[1]
Scott became a prominent socialite and hostess who was very involved in the upper echelons of American high society and politics.[1] Her sister, Letitia, married U.S. Vice President Adlai Stevenson I and her daughter, Julia, married U.S. Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Carl Schurz Vrooman.[1] Parties and receptions she hosted at her Taylor Street residence were written about in The Bulletin and The Pantagraph newspapers.[1]
Scott joined the Daughters of the American Revolution, of which her sister was a founding member.[1] She hosted her local chapter and visiting officers from other chapters to a reception at her home, which had over three-hundred guests.[1] She was elected Vice-president General of the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1901 and served in that capacity for four years.[1] In a highly publicized election in 1909, Scott defeated Daisy Allen Story for the office of President-General of the organization.[1] During her tenure as president, the Memorial Continental Hall in Washington, D.C. was dedicated as the national headquarters for the Daughters of the American Revolution.[1] As president, Scott travelled the United States to recruit new members and give speeches promoting the organization's work.[1] The Daughters of the American Revolution gained 7,000 members under her leadership.[1]
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