Arthur Rose Eldred
BSA's First Eagle Scout Recipient
Arthur Rose Eldred (1895-1951) was the first Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on August 16, 1895. His father died in 1899 when Arthur was a young boy. He was raised by his mother on a small farm on Long Island, New York. In November 1901, he became a member of Boy Scout Troop 1 (later named Troop 40), Rockville Centre, Long Island, New York, which was just eight months after the incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America.
Becoming an Eagle Scout
Arthur Eldred advanced rapidly through the Scouting ranks, becoming a First Class Scout by March 1911. By April 1912, he had completed the last of the 21 merit badges required to become an Eagle Scout. To make sure that Arthur Eldred was worthy of the Boy Scouts of America’s first Eagle Scout Badge, he was reviewed not only by his own Troop’s Board of Review, but also by a Special Review Board composed of the three major founders of Scouting: Chief Scout Executive James E. West, Chief Scout Ernest Thompson Seton, and National Scout Commissioner Dan Beard. In a letter dated August 21, 1912, James West formally notified Eldred that he was the first Eagle Scout, and it is this date that is inscribed on a memorial plaque on his grave. Because the die had not yet been cast for the Eagle Scout badge, Arthur Eldred had to wait until Labor Day to get his emblem of honor.
Scope of Achievements
When Eldred earned his Eagle Scout rank, the fledgling Boy Scouts of America had about 300,000 members. A measure of his achievement was that by April 1912 only 141 merit badges had then been earned by about 50 Scouts in the entire country. Eldred's honors in Scouting did not end with achieving the rank of Eagle Scouts. Within weeks, he saved a 15-year-old Scout from drowning while camping with his troop at Orange Lake, New York. For this he received the Honor Medal for Life Saving from Chief Scout Ernest Seton.
Education & Military Service
Eldred studied agriculture at Cornell University, graduating in 1916. He was on the track and cross-country teams, and he was President of the Cornell University Agricultural Association. During World War I, he served as an enlisted man aboard a U.S. Navy submarine chaser based at Corfu, Greece.
Continued Interest in Scouting
Throughout his adult life, Arthur Eldred continued his interest in Scouting. He served as a Board of Review examiner, Committee Chairman of Troop 77 in Clementon, New Jersey, and he served as a member of the Camden County BSA Council. Arthur was present at his son Willard's own Eagle Scout ceremony on October 27, 1944. In civic affairs, Arthur's interest remained with youth. He served on the Clementon, New Jersey Board of Education, and at the time of his death on January 4, 1951, he was President of the Overbrook, New Jersey Regional School Board.
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