Evangeline Cory Booth,
OF (December 25, 1865July 17, 1950) was a British evangelist and the 4th
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
of
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
from 1934 to 1939. She was the first woman to hold the post.
Early life
She was born in
South Hackney
South Hackney is an area of Hackney in London, England within the Borough of Hackney. It is about northeast of Charing Cross.
The Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy on the corner of Victoria Park Road and Lammas Walk utilises the buildings of ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England, the seventh of eight children born to
William Booth
William Booth (10 April 182920 August 1912) was an English Methodist preacher who, along with his wife, Catherine, founded the Salvation Army and became its first "General" (1878–1912). His 1890 book In Darkest England and The Way Out outli ...
and
Catherine Mumford, who had earlier in the year founded The Christian Mission, which became The Salvation Army in 1878. Catherine Booth had recently read ''
Uncle Tom's Cabin
''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...
'' and wanted to name her baby 'Evangeline', but William Booth did not like the name and wrote 'Evelyne' on the birth certificate. Years later, while in the United States, Evelyne would be persuaded by
Frances Willard
Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...
, founder of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, to adopt the name 'Evangeline' as being more dignified and more befitting the commander of The Salvation Army in America.
[Notable American Women 1607–1950: A Biographical Dictionary, James, James, and Boyer Editors, The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. (1971)]
At 15 she was a Sergeant selling the Army's paper ''
The War Cry
''The War Cry'' is the official news publication of The Salvation Army. Today national versions of it are sold in countries all over the world to raise funds in support of the Army's social work.
History
The first edition of ''The War Cry'' w ...
'' in the slums of east London.
[ In 1887, at 21 years of age, she became the ]officer
An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...
of the corps in Marylebone
Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary.
An Civil parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish and latterly a ...
, where there was very strong opposition to The Salvation Army. Wherever trouble threatened, General Booth's solution was invariably the same, 'Send Eva!'.[Evangeline Booth on SAWiki]
/ref>
The Salvation Army
She was appointed as Field Commissioner throughout Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
from 1888 to 1891, courageously facing riotous crowds. From 1891 until 1896 she was in charge of Officer Training. When in 1896 an American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
break-away group led by her brother Ballington Booth and his wife Maud Ballington Booth attempted to tempt American Salvationists away from The Salvation Army and into a rival group called Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America (VOA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 that provides affordable housing and other assistance services primarily to low-income people throughout the United States. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, the organiz ...
, General Booth sent Evangeline to New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. When she arrived the doors to Army headquarters on 14th Street had been locked against her. However, "she mounted the fire escape and climbed through a rear window. The dissidents hissed and booed until she literally wrapped herself in an available American flag and challenged: "Hiss that, if you dare." In the stunned silence she played her concertina and sang "Over Jordan without Fearing." Ballington's rebellion was quelled."[
She was appointed temporary Territorial Commander of the United States, then Territorial Commander of Canada. In 1904 she returned as Commander of the United States, and held this position until 1934. In the aftermath of the ]1906 San Francisco earthquake
At 05:12 Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the coast of Northern California was struck by a major earthquake with an estimated moment magnitude of 7.9 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of XI (''Extreme''). High-intensity sha ...
, she led a mass meeting in Union Square, New York, and raised over $12,000 for Salvation Army relief work among the victims of the disaster. During this period she became a US citizen.[
In August 1917, despite the differences between Commander Evangeline Booth and US ]General Pershing
General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the West ...
, commander of the American Expeditionary Force
The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alon ...
(AEF), the first of 250 Salvationists left New York for the front line of the Great War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
in France. They soon won the confidence of the troops with their cheerful brand of 'seven-days-a-week' Christianity. As tributes poured in, Evangeline protested: 'The Salvation Army has had no new success; we have only done an old thing in an old way.' The American people disagreed, and subscribed an unprecedented $13 million to clear debts incurred by The Army, through its provision of canteens, hostels, rest rooms during the war, and afterwards on the provision of care and accommodation for the returning forces. For her work in support of the AEF, Booth was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation.
Examples include:
*Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action
* Distinguishe ...
by the U.S. Army. Booth was one of only a very few civilian women to be so honored for service during the First World War.
In 1927, Evangeline visited her brother, General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
Bramwell Booth
William Bramwell Booth, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (8 March 1856 – 16 June 1929) was a Salvation Army officer, Christian and British charity worker who was the first Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army, Chief of Staff (1881 ...
, with a memorandum which set to change the way in which The Salvation Army appointed its General. At first Bramwell refused to speak with Evangeline and forced communication through his speech writer, Commissioner Cornelius Obadiah Phelps. After finally agreeing to meet, Bramwell was not convinced; he was adamant that he would appoint his successor as his father had done before him.[
In January 1929, the first ]High Council of The Salvation Army
The High Council of The Salvation Army elects a new General in the event of a vacancy or prior to the retirement of the existing office holder. It can also remove a General who can no longer fulfill their duties. It is made up of the Chief of th ...
decided otherwise, and since then the General has been elected by the High Council, in line with Evangeline Booth's original proposal.
Fourth General
Evangeline Booth was elected General by the second High Council in 1934. She brought to the Generalship a wealth of experience in many areas of The Army's work but never lost the zeal and enthusiasm of the early years. Dubbed 'The Musician General' by Army papers of the time, she took great interest in the soul-winning activities of the musical sections of The Salvation Army.
Like her father, the Founder, Evangeline extensively travelled the world. After her election as General she toured Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
, and in 1935 India, Ceylon
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and the United States; then, immediately upon her return, Norway and Sweden. By the end of 1935 she undertook a 'motorcade' - the entire East Coast of England up to Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town.
In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
, then several Western Counties and the Thames Valley. The following year she went on another motorcade from Land's End
Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
to John o' Groats, and visited Canada, the United States and France, though by this time she was over seventy years old.[
The Salvation Army's work greatly prospered during Evangeline Booth's leadership, with Salvation Army activities being commenced in ]Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
, Algeria
)
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, capital = Algiers
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, Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
, French Equatorial Africa
French Equatorial Africa (french: link=no, Afrique-Équatoriale française), or the AEF, was the federation of French colonial possessions in Equatorial Africa, extending northwards from the Congo River into the Sahel, and comprising what are ...
, the Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, Mexico, and Penang (Malaya).
Later years
Her term of office ended on October 31, 1939 when Commissioner George Lyndon Carpenter was elected as the Army's fifth General. Towards the end of November, Evangeline left Britain for her home in up-state New York, and spent the remaining years of her life there.[
She wrote several books, including '' Toward a Better World'' and '']Songs of the Evangel
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetiti ...
''. The Salvation Army Evangeline Booth College
The Salvation Army Evangeline Booth College, or EBC, is an accredited theological college administered by The Salvation Army. The school is located in Atlanta, Georgia and is named after General Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation ...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
is named after her, as is 'The Evangeline Booth Lodge' in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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which is "a haven for families and individuals suddenly homeless because of eviction, disasters such as a fire or flood, loss of utilities, domestic violence, being stranded while traveling, or other crises."The Salvation Army Chicago website
/ref>
General Evangeline Booth lived in Hartsdale, New York
Hartsdale is a hamlet located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb of New York City.
History
Hartsdale, a CDP/hamlet/post-office in the town of Greenb ...
, until her death at the age of 84 from arteriosclerosis
Arteriosclerosis is the thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of Artery, arteries. This process gradually restricts the blood flow to one's organs and tissues and can lead to severe health risks brought on by atherosclerosis ...
. She is interred in Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, Mount Pleasant, New York near White Plains, New York
(Always Faithful)
, image_seal = WhitePlainsSeal.png
, seal_link =
, subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Country
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, subdivision_type1 = U.S. state, State
, su ...
. Her home, the Evangeline Booth House, now known as St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2011.
References
External links
*
*
Biography of Evangeline Booth
"Evangeline Booth on her appointment as General"
British Pathé
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
news, 1934
"General Booth Holds a Part for Slum Children"
British Pathé news, 1937
{{DEFAULTSORT:Booth, Evangeline
1865 births
1950 deaths
People from South Hackney
American Salvationists
American evangelicals
Civilian recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United States)
English Salvationists
English theologians
English evangelicals
Protestant writers
Salvation Army officers
Burials at Kensico Cemetery
People from Hartsdale, New York
Evangeline
''Evangeline, A Tale of Acadie'' is an epic poem by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, written in English and published in 1847. The poem follows an Acadian girl named Evangeline and her search for her lost love Gabriel, set during t ...
English emigrants to the United States
People with acquired American citizenship
Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (US Army)