Elizabeth Newkirk Seimes was an American clubwoman who served as the 27th
President General of the
Daughters of the American Revolution
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War.
A non-p ...
.
Personal life
Betty was born in
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
, on 8 July 1901 and died 24 March 1990 in
Easton, Maryland
Easton is an incorporated town in and the county seat of Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,101 at the 2020 census, with an estimated population of 17,342 in 2022. The primary ZIP Code is 21601, and the secondary ...
. She attended
Alexis I. duPont High School and Goldey Wilmington Commercial College (now
Goldey–Beacom College
Goldey–Beacom College is a private university in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. Its setting is suburban with a campus of . It uses a semester-based academic calendar and is accredited to award certificates, associate, baccalaureate, maste ...
). Betty married Erwin F Seimes, who died in 1970, and both are buried in Gracelawn Memorial Park in
New Castle, DE
New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Castle constitutes part o ...
. Betty worked as a secretary and office manager for Allied Kid Company of Wilmington and as the executive secretary for
Governor Richard C. McMullen, from 1937 to 1941.
DAR Membership
Seimes was elected DAR President General in 1968, having joined the DAR the Cooch's Bridge Chapter of Delaware in 1938. She helped organize the Colonel David Hall Chapter in
Lewes, DE, 1951. She served as State Regent of Delaware, Recording Secretary General, and First Vice President General.
She received the
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 Louisvi ...
Gold Good Citizenship Medal in 1977 from the Delaware State Society.
President General Administration
Seimes was elected President General in 1968 and installed during the 77th Continental Congress, having defeated Dorothy W. S. Ragan. Her slate of executive officers were:
* First Vice President General: Mrs. Henry Stewart Jones
* Chaplain General: Mrs. Ralph Allen Killey
* Recording Secretary General: Mrs. Lyle Johnston Howland
* Corresponding Secretary General: Mrs. George Jacob Walz
* Organizing Secretary General: Mrs. Wilson King Barnes
* Treasurer General: Mrs. Nile Eugene Faust
* Registrar General:
Mrs. Richard Denny Shelby
* Historian General:
Mrs. Donald Spicer
* Librarian General: Mrs. George Sprague Tolman III
* Curator General: Mrs. Carl William Kietzman
* Reporter General: Mrs. Lawrence Russell Andrus
She had three themes, one for each year of her administration: 1st year: “One Country, One Constitution, One Destiny;” 2nd year: “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it;” 3rd year: “Where Law Ends, Tyranny Begins,” by William Pitt. Her symbol was a four-leaf clover and her unofficial project was “tying up loose ends.”
Seimes' administration coincided with the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, which impacted their work. As part of the DAR's mission of Patriotism, they authorized Certificates of Honor to be presented to the families of servicemen killed in the war.
As President General
Sullivan
Sullivan may refer to:
People
Characters
* Chloe Sullivan, from the television series ''Smallville''
* Colin Sullivan, a character in the film ''The Departed'', played by Matt Damon
* Harry Sullivan (''Doctor Who''), from the British science f ...
before her had done, Seimes spoke out against the burning of draft cards. She called it "near treason," and advocated for strong punishment.
Highlights from the Seimes administration include:
* Installation of computers for administrative use and membership records
* Establishment of the Seimes Microfilm Center (later Seimes Technology Center)
* Construction of the Seimes-Thomas Classroom Building at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School
* Focus on reduction of debt and cost-cutting measures
* Completion of the indexing and cataloguing of the Americana Collection
* The 80th Continental Congress was aired on NBC, with President Richard Nixon giving an address
* Seimes represented the DAR on
The Dick Cavett Show
''The Dick Cavett Show'' is the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:
* ABC daytime, (March 4, 1968 – January 24, 1969) originally titled ''This Morning''
* ABC prime time, Tuesday ...
on 14 July 1970
Other Associations
* The National Gavel Society (President, 1972–1975)
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*
Colonial Dames of America
The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization comprising women who descend from one or more ancestors who lived in British North America between 1607 and 1775, and who aided the colonies in public office, in military service, or ...
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seimes, Betty Newkirk
Presidents general of the Daughters of the American Revolution
1901 births
1990 deaths
Alexis I. duPont High School alumni
Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America
Goldey–Beacom College alumni
People from Wilmington, Delaware
State Regents of the Daughters of the American Revolution