# Sons of the American Revolution

The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, was formed in New York City on April 30, 1889. Its objectives are to maintain and extend "the institutions of American freedom, an appreciation for true patriotism, a respect for our national symbols, the value of American citizenship, [and] the unifying force of 'e pluribus unum' that has created, from the people of many nations, one nation and one people."
The members of the society are male descendants of people who served in the American Revolutionary War or who contributed to establishing the independence of the United States. It is dedicated to perpetuating American ideals and traditions, and to protecting the United States Constitution. The official recognition of Constitution Day, Flag Day, and Bill of Rights Day were established through its efforts. The society has members in the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
The organization is distinct from the Sons of the Revolution, a separate patriotic organization founded on February 22, 1876, by businessman John Austin Stevens and members of the Society of the Cincinnati. Sons of the American Revolution founder William Osborn McDowell disagreed with the Sons of the Revolution requirement at that time that all state societies were to be subordinate to the New York Society.

## History

The first organization of descendants of Revolutionary War patriots was established in San Francisco, in 1876. A group of men who were descendants of American Revolutionary War veterans gathered to celebrate the centennial of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States. They also wanted to honor the men and women who pledged their lives, fortunes, and livelihood to the striving for independence from Great Britain. This group formed an organization called the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires. There is, however, no direct link between the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires and the Sons of the American Revolution except that members of the Sons of Revolutionary War Sires were permitted to join the Sons of the American Revolution after its founding in 1889.
The organization's founding can be traced to the Sons of the Revolution, a New York City society that was organized in 1876. Sons of the Revolution was founded by John Austin Stevens, who envisioned an aristocratic social and hereditary organization along the lines of the Society of the Cincinnati.
In 1889, William O. McDowell, a New Jersey financier and businessman, organized the New Jersey Society of the Sons of the Revolution but was unwilling to accept the Sons of the Revolution's requirement that other state societies be subordinate to the New York society. McDowell also wanted the society to become more of a mass movement of descendants of Revolutionary patriots rather than an exclusive social club.
McDowell organized the Sons of the American Revolution at Fraunces Tavern in New York City, on April 30, 1889, the same year as the centennial anniversary of the first inauguration of George Washington as the nation's first president in 1789. McDowell was the organization's first member. In addition to organizing the Sons of the American Revolution, McDowell worked with six women to organize Daughters of the American Revolution, a national organization for women who descend from American Revolution era figures.
On June 9, 1906, Sons of the American Revolution was formally granted a congressional charter by an act of Congress under Title 36 of the United States Code. The act was signed by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, who was a member.

## Insignia

The society's insignia consists of a Maltese cross surrounded by a garland, with a relief of George Washington in a center circle. The Maltese cross used in the Badge of the Sons of the American Revolution draws its inspiration from the cross used by the Order of St. Louis of France. The wreath symbolizes the laurel wreaths presented to worthy individuals by the Roman Republic. Major West selected the Cross of St. Louis as his basis for the decoration because King Louis XVI of France, the Grand Master of the Order of St. Louis, provided badly needed aid to the fledgling Continentals. In choosing this cross, the National Society intended to recognize the French contribution to American independence.
History shows that the Maltese Cross was used by the Knights of St. John, a brotherhood of warrior Crusaders who represented all walks of life who banded together to fight for freedom and against oppression. The Knights of St. John, and other Crusaders, adopted the Maltese cross as their insignia because its eight points represented the eight Beatitudes prescribed in the Sermon on the Mount: blessed are (1) the poor in spirit, (2) the meek, (3) the pure, (4) the merciful, and (5) the peacemakers, (6) blessed are they that mourn, and (7) seek righteousness, and (8) blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake.
Surrounding the relief of Washington in the center are the words "LIBERTAS ET PATRIA", a reminder of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
The insignia is normally worn suspended by a ribbon of blue, white and gold (buff) on the wearer's left breast. National officers and former state and chapter presidents wear the insignia suspended from a neck ribbon of the Society's colors. On other occasions a rosette in the Society's colors is worn on the wearers left lapel.

## Purpose

The society is involved in historical research, raising funds for local scholarships and educational awards, and preservation of sites and documents related to the American Revolution. The Sons of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to store Revolutionary era documents in a fire-proof area and make them available to the public, leading to the creation of the National Archives. It is also active in cataloging and marking Revolutionary War patriot graves and conducts an annual Eagle Scout scholarship program. The society is active in promoting "patriotism", and was instrumental in the establishment of Constitution Day. Numerous Sons of the American Revolution societies and chapters have active color guard groups that appear in various public and private venues as a means of community outreach.
The Sons of the American Revolution hosts two Leadership Meetings and one National Congress every year. The two leadership meetings are held in the Spring and Fall in Louisville, KY at the Brown Hotel. The National Congress is held at a different location every year during the Summer; recent locations include: Renton, Washington (2021), Savannah, Georgia (2022), Orlando, Florida (2023) and Lancaster, Pennsylvania (2024).

## Headquarters

The headquarters, located along Museum Row in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, contains the organization's administrative staff offices, Sons of the American Revolution Genealogical Research Library, and the future site of an American Revolutionary War Education Center. The SAR is currently raising funds to finish the center's development. The building houses original and copied art that commemorates important people and events of the Revolutionary War, as well as historical uniforms, flags, documents, and other colonial era pieces.
The governance of the SAR is made up of ten national officers, 15 vice presidents that preside over separate geographical regions, and one trustee, who is elected from each state and international society. The officers meet several times over the year to discuss business pertaining to the society. National Officers meet at least four times during their term of office, unless special meetings are called. Trustees meet twice annually at the society's headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. These meetings, known as the Fall and Spring Leadership Meetings, are normally held in late September and early March. During leadership meetings, committee recommendations and the society's budget are approved. While only national officers, vice presidents, and trustees have the right to vote on the floor, all members are invited to attend and may request appointment to committees.
National officers and trustees also meet during the National Congress, which is held in late June or early July of each year. Unlike the leadership meetings, which always take place at the Society's national headquarters, the National Congress is held in different locations throughout the United States. Locations are often selected in order to honor a historical event in United States history or in the organization's history, and there is an effort to alternate the meetings between the East and West coasts of the United States. The National Congress is responsible for electing national officers and approving changes to the society's constitution, along with any other motions brought before it.
The organization also maintains over 60 standing and special committees that Sons of the American Revolution members are appointed to in order to oversee the society's welfare, including committees on facilities, insurance, genealogy, library, merchandise, medals, and awards. All members are welcome to participate on committees and are appointed by the society's president general for a one-year term. There are no term-limits and all committee members have the right to vote on the committee's decisions.
The current President General is Darryl Addington, M.D., North Carolina Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, who was sworn in as President General at the 134th National Congress in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The organization's executive director is Todd Bale.

### Genealogical library

The National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution has held a collection of genealogical reference dating back to 1889. Materials were originally kept by the Secretary General or Registrar General up until 1926, when the materials were moved to the Registrar General's office in Washington, D.C., in 1927, this collection was moved to the recently purchased Sixteenth Street Headquarters Building, and the collection had grown to 914 books by 1933. From this point until the move of Headquarters from Washington, D.C., to Louisville, Kentucky, the book collection grew at a rapid pace, growing to approximately 25,000 items by 1988. At this point, the Library was on the Second floor of the Headquarters building on South Fourth Street, and possessed a 544-square-foot vault for books not out in the library due to space.
Because of continuing growth, the Sons of the American Revolution Library was moved in 2010 to a renovated building on West Main Street in the heart of the Historic Museum District of downtown Louisville. By this point, the Library collection had grown to over 58,000 items, mostly covering the Revolutionary War period, but also containing other genealogical materials. The library collection includes family histories, state genealogy materials, federal censuses, Revolutionary War pension applications, and CD collections, and the library separates materials based on State. The library also provides access to online research databases, including Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, and Heritage Quest Online.
It was supported by several other patriotic societies, including the Society of American Wars and the United States Daughters of 1812.$^{:115}$ The Daughters of the American Revolution stocked it in its library and even considered merging it with another of its own magazines.$^{:115}$ It ceased publication in 1906.$^{:115}$

## Membership

Membership in the society is open to any male of "good repute" who can prove lineal bloodline descent from an ancestor who actively supported the American Revolution. Acceptable ancestors include:
* military veterans of the American Revolutionary War, including those who served in the Continental Army, Continental Navy, and state militias and navies
* signers of the Declaration of Independence
* members of the Continental Congress
* civilians who provided arms or supplies to the American cause
* people who served on political bodies supporting the American Revolution, signed oaths of allegiance, or those who gave similar support to the Patriot cause
* Soldiers and sailors from allied nations such as France and Spain who fought in support of American independence.
No state society or chapter may discriminate against an applicant on the basis of race or creed. The Sons of the American Revolution claims a membership of over 37,000 members in over 550 chapters representing all 50 states in the United States, as well as societies in Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Overall, about 200,000 descendants have been admitted since the founding of the S.A.R. in 1890.

## Publication

The official publication of the society is the SAR Magazine, released quarterly in February, May, August, and November. It covers "SAR society news at all levels and scopes" and features articles on "patriotic, historic and educational topics."
Prior to the SAR Magazine, the journal of the organization at the turn of the 20th century was the Spirit of '76 magazine, a little magazine published in New York.$^{:114–115}$ It was founded in September 1894, published by the eponymous Spirit of '76 Publishing Company and edited by Henry Hall, one of McDowell's associates.$^{:114}$ In 1897 Louis H. Cornish, previously the editor of another magazine titled Suburbs that was about real estate in New York City, took over as both editor and publisher.$^{:114}$ Cornish's opinion of McDowell, who in Cornish's words "came to us with various schemes of making the world better, and we entered into them and have since paid for it" was that McDowell's ideas for the magazine were enthusiastic but wildly impractical.$^{:115}$$^{:358}$

## List of presidents general

* Lucius Parmenias Deming, of Connecticut, 1889–1890
* William Seward Webb, of New York, 1890–1892
* Horace Porter, of New York, 1892–1897
* Edward Shepard Barrett, of Massachusetts, 1897–1898
* Franklin Murphy, of New Jersey, 1898–1900
* Joseph Cabell Breckinridge, of Kentucky, 1900–1901
* Walter S. Logan, of New York, 1901–1902
* Edwin Warfield, of Maryland, 1902–1903
* Edwin S. Greeley, of Connecticut, 1903–1905
* James Denton Hancock, of Pennsylvania, 1904–1905
* Francis Henry Appleton, of Massachusetts, 1905–1906
* Cornelius Amory Pugsley, of New York, 1906–1907
* Nelson Alvin McClary, of Illinois, 1907–1908
* Henry Stockbridge Jr., of Maryland, 1908–1909
* Morris Beach Beardsley, of Connecticut, 1909–1910
* William Allen Marble, of New York, 1910–1911
* Moses Greeley Parker, of Massachusetts, 1911–1912
* James McElroy Richardson, of Ohio, 1912–1913
* Rogers Clark Ballard Thruston, of Kentucky, 1913–1915
* Newell Bertram Woodworth, of New York, 1915–1916
* Elmer Marston Wentworth, of Iowa, 1916–1918
* Louis Annin Ames, of New York, 1918–1919
* Chancellor Livingston Jenks Jr., of Illinois, 1919–1920
* James H. Preston, of Maryland, 1920–1921
* Wallace McCamant, of Oregon, 1921–1922
* W. I. Lincoln Adams, of New Jersey, 1922–1923
* Arthur Preston Sumner, of Rhode Island, 1923–1924
* Marvin Harrison Lewis, of Kentucky, 1924–1925
* Harvey Foote Remington, of New York, 1925–1926
* Wilbert Hamilton Barrett, of Michigan, 1926–1927
* Ernest E. Rogers, of Connecticut, 1927–1928
* Ganson Depew, of New York, 1928–1929
* Howard Rowley, of California, 1929–1930
* Josiah Alexander Van Orsdel, of Washington, D.C., 1930–1931
* Benjamin Newhall Johnson, of Massachusetts, 1931–1932
* Frederick William Millspaugh, of Tennessee, 1932–1933
* Arthur Milton McGrillis, of Rhode Island, 1933–1935
* Henry Fennimore Baker, of Maryland, 1935–1936
* Messmore Kendall, of New York, 1936–1940
* Smith Lewis Multer, of New Jersey, 1943–1946
* Allen Laws Oliver, of Missouri, 1946–1947
* A. Herbert Foreman, of Virginia, 1947–1948
* Charles Bunn Shaler, of Pennsylvania, 1948
* Benjamin Harrison Powell III, of Texas, 1948–1949
* John Whelchel Finger, of New York, 1949–1950
* Wallace Clare Hall, of Michigan, 1950–1952
* Ray Omer Edwards, of Florida, 1952–1953
* A. Alexander le Pelletier de la Houssaye, of Louisiana, 1953–1954
* Milton Miles Lory, of Iowa, 1954–1955
* Edgar Williamson Jr., of New Jersey, 1955–1956
* Eugene Pendleton Carver Jr., of Massachusetts, 1956–1957
* George Edward Tarbox Jr., of Colorado, 1957–1958
* Walter Allerton Wentworth, of New York, 1958–1959
* Charles Aubrey Jones, of Ohio, 1959–1960
* Herschel Stratton Murphy, of New Jersey, 1960–1961
* Horace Yeargin Kitchell, of Mississippi, 1961–1962
* Charles Arner Anderson, of Ohio, 1962–1963
* Robert Leon Sonfield, of Texas, 1963–1964
* Harry Thomas Burn, of Tennessee, 1964–1965
* Howard Emerson Coe, of Connecticut, 1965–1966
* Kenneth Godfrey Smith, of Pennsylvania, 1966–1967
* Len Young Smith, of Illinois, 1967–1968
* Walter Gage Sterling, of Texas, 1968–1969
* James Bronson Gardiner II, of New York, 1969–1970
* Walter Reville Martin, of Rhode Island, 1970–1971
* Eugene Clifford McGuire, of Ohio, 1971–1972
* Ryall Stapleton Morgan, of Alabama, 1972–1973
* Marion Howard Crawmer, of Michigan, 1973–1974
* M. Graham Clark, of Missouri, 1974–1975
* Robert Duval Savage, of Pennsylvania, 1975–1976
* Matthew Bacon Sellers III, of Florida, 1976–1977
* Wilson King Barnes Sr., of Maryland, 1977–1978
* Calvin Ellsworth Chunn, of California, 1978–1980
* Arthur Mansfield King, of Kansas, 1980–1981
* Richard Henry Thompson Jr., of Florida, 1981–1982
* Howard Laverne Hamilton, of Virginia, 1982–1983
* Warren Griffin Hayes Jr., of Pennsylvania, 1983–1984
* Carl Francis Bessent, of Maryland, 1984–1985
* Benjamin Hume Morris, of Kentucky, 1985–1986
* Clovis Hunter Brakebill, of Texas, 1986–1987
* Nolan Wendell Carson, of Ohio, 1987–1988
* Charles Francis Printz, of West Virginia, 1988–1989
* James Roger Westlake, of Georgia, 1989–1990
* James Robert Calhoun, of New Mexico, 1990–1991
* George Henry Brandau, of Texas, 1991–1992
* Paul Howard Walker, of Massachusetts, 1992–1993
* Robert Bell Vance Sr., of Georgia, 1993–1994
* Stewart Boone McCarty Jr., of Washington, D.C., 1994–1995
* William C. Gist Jr., of Kentucky, 1995–1996
* Reon Glessner Hillegass Jr., of Virginia, 1996–1997
* Carl K. Hoffman II, of Florida, 1997–1998
* Russell Duff Page, of Illinois, 1998–1999
* Howard F. Horne Jr., of Delaware, 1999–2000
* Bruce Baird Butler, of Louisiana, 2000–2001
* Larry D. McClanahan, of Tennessee, 2001–2002
* B. Rice Aston, of Texas, 2002–2003
* Raymond G. Musgrave, of West Virginia, 2003–2004
* Henry N. McCarl, of Massachusetts, 2004–2005
* Roland G. Downing, of Delaware, 2005–2006
* Nathan E. White Jr., of Texas, 2006–2007
* Bruce A. Wilcox, of Virginia, 2007–2008
* David N. Appleby, of Missouri, 2008–2009
* Edward F. Butler, of Texas, 2009–2010
* J. David Sympson, of Kentucky, 2010–2011
* Larry J. Magerkurth, of California, 2011–2012
* Stephen Arthur Leishman, of Delaware, 2012–2013
* Joseph W. Dooley, of Virginia, 2013–2014
* Lindsay C. Brock, of Florida, 2014–2015
* Thomas E. Lawrence, of Texas, 2015–2016
* J. Michael Tomme Sr., of Georgia, 2016–2017
* Larry T. Guzy, of Georgia, 2017–2018
* Warren M. Alter, of Arizona, 2018–2019
* John T. Manning, of New Hampshire, 2019–2021
* Davis L. Wright, of Delaware, 2021–2022
* C. Bruce Pickette, of Alabama, 2022–2023
* John L. Dodd, of California, 2023–2024

## List of honorary presidents general

* Adolphus Skinner Hubbard, of California
* Harold Lee Putnam, of California
* Albert Maver Winn, of California